Desert Aqua
by Angel's Nocturne
Summary: NO LONGER CONTINUING. The YGO gang is going on a cruise! But why is Shadi there, and why is Yami having strange dreams of Atemu? Joey keeps eating, Serenity's moody, and why are fish flying? FULL SUMMARY INSIDE! YYxA JxM TxSxD
1. A Need for the Sun

SUMMARY: The Yu-Gi-Oh! gang are going on a cruise for some R and R… but why is Shadi there, watching the Pharaoh? What is Ishizu hiding from them about Shadi's mysterious appearances? And does it have anything do to with Yami having dreams about his ancient self and a lusting for power?

Meanwhile, will anyone be able to separate Joey from the buffet? How will Yami Bakura and Marik be able to explain the phenomenon known as flying fish? And why is Serenity being so moody? This is, in a nutshell, the summary of Desert Aqua.

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Disclaimer: I, Angel's Nocturne, do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, the coolest, most amazing anime/manga in the entire existence of the world. Takahashi is a lucky guy to have been so smart in making it up… he gave birth to the sexy Yami so we love him a whole lot!

… Actually, the "giving birth" part was slightly weird… imagine that for a second as you read the author note that follows this.

Author's Note: _Hello my peeps! As you know, it is after April 16th of the year 2006, so I have returned from my cruise! And with it I have discovered a new fan fiction idea: one that I am sure has already been done before (_the cruise idea, not my plot, which is as unique as meh!) _but not as I shall do it so it does not count! Ha!_

…_Ahem… and this will be a really fun little fanfic, so let's get it started!_

**Yami**: Hey, since when do you let the cast talk to you in your author's notes?

**Me**: … I don't know, I just feel like it! (grins maniacally)

**Yami**: (sweatdrops)

**Me**: On with the fic!

#2 Author's Note: _All thoughts are in italics, let's just get that straight_….

**Desert Aqua**

**By Angel's Nocturne**

**Chapter 1: A Need for the Sun**

"Hey Yami! I have a surprise for you!"

Yami's head perked up from the downward slump it had previously been in while he read a magazine on the glass counter. He had been standing by the cash register, reading and watching the door for any customers that might make a purchase at the Kame Game Shop; both he and Yugi took such shifts for Grandpa whenever he needed some time off. At the present moment, Solomon was out buying groceries, so Yami was tending to the store as his aibou did his homework in the upstairs bedrooms.

"Hold on a second, Yugi! I'm coming up" Yami called so that his deep baritone voice was loud enough to be heard on the second floor; a muffled "okay" was heard from Yugi's bedroom, as the Pharaoh closed the magazine that he had been examining and silently rushed up the creaky wooden stairs, his blonde bangs shuffling along with him as he jogged up to the door effortlessly.

Yami smirked at the youthful vessel that was his own. It had been a long time since he first got it, but it still felt like yesterday that the fateful events that separated his soul from his hikari's body took place. It had been after his visit to the Memory World, and with the Ceremonial Battle as his final test, he learned that the entire battle had actually been just that: a test. It was to see if he was worthy, after all the trial and error of his long extended life, to remain in the living world with his new friends and hikari. Though he had lost to Yugi, he had proven himself to Shadi and the Gods and was allowed to stay in a vessel of his own.

So far, in the year that he had been in his new body, he started to attend school with Yugi so that he could apply for an education, and gain access to a normal human life. Despite complications with their "similar" appearances, both Yugi and Yami came up with the excuse that Yami was Yugi's twin brother, who had been living with Yugi's father in another country due to their parents' divorce.

This suited him fine though. Life did seem to go quite well for Yami as he learned how to act outside of duels and interact with people on a daily basis. He attended school with Yugi, Joey, and Tristan, and he had become somewhat popular amongst his fellow classmates. He was a bit uncomfortable with the sudden rise of interest in him, though it did prove to boost Yugi's stasis from his peers and that was enough to keep Yami from complaining. Yami was a straight A+ student, with remarkable athletic abilities for being locked up in a puzzle fro over five millennia. His obvious talent lay in games, whether they took the form of word problems, algebraic expressions, or a History pop quiz—everything could become a game, and if that was the case then it was no wonder that Yami managed to ace anything he put his mind to in class or in gym.

It also helped to be the dueling king of the world, since such a ranking kept anyone from bothering Yami or ever bullying on his friends—Yugi was now officially out of the line of bully fire. His exotic looks made him the apple of almost ever girl's eye in the school, yet it failed to dawn on Yami as to why Yugi, who looked exactly like him, couldn't obtain the same attention. And Joey was just as perplexed, if he could retain sane thought for just a moment before returning his gaze to either the nearest plate of food. Nope, some things failed to change, and when it came to Joey Wheeler, some things were to be written in stone for the remainder of eternity….

But a surprise from Yugi was a change indeed; in fact, school had just recently been let out for the summer, and from what Yami could foretell from the condition of the past few weeks he just knew that things were going to be as sluggish as Kaiba was cold. If this new "surprise" could provide a way to banish the slow empty void that was summer break along, then he would run up those stairs as if he were Joey heading for a buffet table… only without the drool.

He failed to move as eagerly as he felt though, but that didn't change the fact that he still made it to the door that lead to Yugi's, and his own, bedroom. They shared one as that was all that the upstairs of the Kame Game Shop had to offer when he became a regular human. It was either that or sleep on the couch… not a pleasant idea considering that he used to be treated as a powerful Pharaoh.

It was sometimes hard to forget who he used to be—Yami's past was one that followed him in his quest to become a normal teenager in the modern world. He knew who he once was: the great Pharaoh Atemu, who sacrificed himself to save the world from the darkness of Zorc and the Shadow Realm. Yes, he did have a vague shadow of his former memories, which only served to aggravate him more as they infiltrated his thoughts at a constant, but that didn't help in remembering the person he once was. He could never be Atemu again, because he had become Yami with the loss of his previous memories in exchange for the ones he held dear now. With the amnesia of his past life he had become a new person from who he was born as; he had been reborn as "Yami", and from now on, that was who he wished to be… he had dealt with his past, and now the future lay ahead of him in his thoughts.

And the future contained a "surprise" from his aibou, one that he was eager to learn about before Yugi decided to leave him out of knowing… Yami had a tendency to tune Yugi out in his flights of boredom and now Yugi made sure that he teased his yami about it later. Once again, it had become a game, and Yami was sure that, even if he wanted to become detached from his past, he was still the King of Games and would dutifully keep his title secure. He placed his hand to the door knob and turned it hastily.

Yugi was sitting on his twin bed, which stood beside Yami's in their small room with only Yugi's desk to separate them. There were plain blinds over the window that loomed in front of the desk, over the small simple desk lamp that adorned the wooden furniture and the unfinished homework that was scattered across the timber surface. The room was, by all means, as plain and as simple as could be, simply because Yami and Yugi never bothered with adorning it with anything special. The bed covers were even a drab off-white tone, for both beds were only used for sleep and were not thought of as decoration by the Mutou residence.

Yugi was the only colorful thing there, as he sat crossed-legged on the plush bed with a set of headphones wrapped around his neck and the CD player it was attached to nearby. He was dressed in a red hooded sweatshirt and baggy blue jeans, which was one of the few outfits he had that did not consist of black or leather items, and his dirty sports sneakers were the most detailed thing that he wore currently with the swirling white and blue plastic and black shoelaces. He was looking at Yami with his large amethyst orbs, which were slightly masked by his blonde bangs which hung lazily over his face. His black hair was as triumphantly messy as it had ever been, his trademark red tips shooting out from all angles of his head. He had a huge smile embellishing his pale face, which meant that, whatever the surprise was, it had to be somewhat good, if not better.

"So Yugi, what was that surprise you wanted to tell me about?" Yami asked as he gently closed the bedroom door behind him and nonchalantly flopped onto his own bed. His light's grin grew larger, thus inducing more of Yami's curiosity to take hold.

"Okay, you are not going to believe this" Yugi squeaked with his slightly high voice, the excitement pouring out of his ears like he was going to explode if he did not say the surprise soon. "but...—" he paused for a dramatically long time, too long for Yami as it went on for several seconds. Finally the relentless silence took to being an irritation.

"But _what_!" Yami finally snapped elatedly, now caught up in Yugi's ecstatic behavior. "Come now, Yugi! Spit it out!"

"Okay, okay!" the younger teen hissed good-naturedly. "The big surprise… is that Anzu just called—"

"ANZU CALLED?" Yami exclaimed. This _had_ to be good news, if Anzu was calling up; instead of finishing school in Japan with the rest of the gang the young brunette became a foreign exchange student and managed to get transferred to New York for the rest of her high school education. She had been gone for many months, and the wait had been killing Yami the whole time. Maybe she had called up to inform them of her fortunate findings of a dance career… now he had to know! "AND YOU _DIDN'T_ TELL ME!"

"I'm telling you now, so calm down, Yami!" Yugi managed to get Yami back from his abrupt standing position back down onto his own twin bed. "But yes, Anzu did call me a little while ago."

"And why didn't you inform me of this? Why didn't I hear the phone ring?" Yami questioned, his patience growing thin—however, he felt no animosity towards his partner as this was, once again, a game to the great Pharaoh, and as always, he was a willing participant for how ever long it would take before Yugi coughed up what he wanted to say.

"I think you were busy with a customer. Besides, I picked up the phone on the first ring, once I saw that it was Anzu on the caller ID" Yugi announced importantly, pointing to the small cordless phone they had on the desk between their two beds. "And as for why I didn't tell you, I just got off with her. I called you right after I hung up."

"So there was no reason for you to NOT let me speak to her?"

"Hold on, I'm getting there Yami. Anyway, she called up from New York, and for a while we just talked about the normal stuff, like school and jobs. Then Anzu told me the real reason she had called, and that was… are you ready for this?" Yami nodded furiously, severely annoyed at how Yugi had managed to draw this out without wanting to run from his furious yami desperately. Yami was about ready to raise his voice if the situation so declared it, for he could not stand the suspense much longer. "Well, Anzu said that she had signed up for a dance competition, which was also part of an audition for this really big part in some musical playing in one of the big theatres over there. Anzu really wanted to get the part, so she went to compete…."

"And she won?"

Yugi shook his head, his black and crimson locks swishing lightly with his head. "No, she got third place. She was a bit upset about it, but the prize for the first three runners-up would be to get a trip for four on this cruise ship docked in Florida. Anzu won that, and the girl who got second place couldn't go because of something with her grandma or whatever, so guess what? She gave Anzu her set of tickets too!" Yugi's eyes went really large now, his pupil microscopic in comparison to the white that surrounded it and the violet. "Anzu's going on the ship—and she's invited us to go with her for break! Isn't that awesome?" The young teen was on his feet, looking down at Yami who still sat on the bed; he had his hands clenched into fists as he lightly hopped up and down, his bangs flopping about as he moved. "Come on Yami! This is so GREAT! Imagine, going on a cruise in the Caribbean! This will be so cool!"

Indeed this did sound like a promising vacation idea to Yami, for a huge grin was on his face and his eyes were a bit more lively now then what they were beforehand. He had never been on a cruise before, but from what he had retained from Yugi's memories and thoughts it was something like what they had been on to get to Duelist Kingdom, but much more enjoyable. And as a plus, he would finally get to see Anzu again, after such a long period without her around. He did miss her, just as he would for any one of his friends… though sometimes he assumed that it could be something more than just that, than just friendship. But that was uncertain, and for the time being Yami had more immediate matters to attend to, such as planning this vacation and finding out who they were going to bring along….

"You said that Anzu had eight tickets for that cruise ship?" Yugi looked at Yami in the middle of his slight happy dance and gave him a blank stare for two seconds while his thoughts recollected. He nodded absently.

"Yeah, she won two sets of four packs for a cruise to the Caribbean. I think it's called the _White Dragon_, and its sailing to, um, five islands, but I really can't remember because I got excited after she told me the news." He was smiling gleefully now, with each corner of his mouth at both ends of his small child-like face. "Who should we bring? Anzu, you, and me is three, and then Joey is four, and we have to bring Tristan, so that's five…and Joey will wanna bring Serenity and, hey maybe we can bring Duke, if we can get in touch with him in America…." But Yami was barely listening to his eager companion, as thoughts of the rolling waves, deep azure skies, soft sand, and beautiful bliss of his first cruise ship drifted about in his mind like deadwood across an ocean.

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Author's Note: _Well, that's chappie one for all of ya! Hope that keeps you busy, because I will now be busy typing out _Revival of the Heart _and_ Prince of the Orichalcos.

**Yami**: Do you even leave to go to school anymore?

**Me**: I do… but my mind doesn't. It stays right next to this screen!

**Yami**: Oh Ra… it's a miracle you're still a straight A student!

**Me**: Indeed, indeed… don't know why that is myself. Guess I'm just smart!

**Bakura**: Or damn lucky….

**Me**: Shut up!


	2. The Gang Is Reunited At Last!

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is awesome and was a gift from Ra to us puny mortals for mindless enjoyment… however what I present to you now is far from the great masterpiece that was created by God, or else known as Kazuki Takahashi, who probably lives in a mansion drinking wine coolers… or maybe beer, but who cares? The fact of the matter is, this is NOT a work of Takahashi, but instead by a high school girl in New Jersey who has nothing better to do with herself but obsess about anime characters...

There, happy now, you damn lawyers!

Author's Note: _And so starts the next chappie… but first I would like to say thanks to _**Gaibomaster XP**, **Ancient Dreams**,** Maridel**, **Pharaohyamifan, Errant of the Violet Shockers, BlackRoseTenshi **_and_ **Eflbrat18** _ for reviewing me and now let the story get underway!_

**Yami**: Yeah, I get to go on a cruise! That sounds cool… as long as Bakura or Marik don't follow me too.

**Me**: Hehehe… you'll see, Yami, you'll see….

**Yami**: … why do I even talk to you? ... (crazy authoress)….

#2 Author's Note: _All thoughts are in italics… if I ever put those in this fic as of yet._

**Desert Aqua**

**By: Angel's Nocturne**

**Chapter 2: The Gang Is Reunited At Last!**

"Argh! Its twenty minutes past one! Where's Anzu!" Joey said through gritted teeth as the whole crew stood outside a busy airport waiting for their brunette companion.

Yugi shrugged as Yami paced nervously nearby. "She might be in traffic—be patient Joey, she'll get here."

"Duh, we know she'll get here, but not early!" seethed Tristan as he stood with his arms crossed next to a grumbling Joey.

"Why is it so important to you and Tristan, big bro?" Serenity asked meekly as she got up in front of her sibling and shyly confronted him. Tristan started to blush a little as Serenity drew nearer so that she could look directly at Joey. "What is it, Joey?"

"Ahh, Serenity you should know me better than dat!" He was serious for only a second before he dramatically fell to his knees and said, "They have a **buffet** on dat ship! You know how much FOOD that is! And me and Tristan wanna be there first, ta eat it all!"

"Yeah, but if we're late we'll miss out on the opening of the buffet, and I hear they have ice cream dispensers…." Tristan feigned a weeping position to prove his point, but that was before they heard a dark chuckle behind them that forced them to turn around—so that they were face-to-face with a malicious looking Bakura.

"GAH!" the two teens nearly jumped out of the skins, screaming out of fright as they comically grabbed each other for safety. "Damnit, Bakura! Don't do that!" The platinum-haired yami only snickered as he sauntered past them and stood with his back facing them. His hands were in his pockets as he lazily moved like a cat stalking its prey. He laughed softly to himself.

"You mortals never fail to amuse me." Yami was glaring at the evil version of Ryou for a second before slowly turning his head to stare at Yugi.

"Yugi, can I ask you something?"

The tri-colored haired teen smiled casually and shrugged. "Sure, what is it Yami?" The Pharaoh, without turning his head or eyes from Yugi, slowly brought up his right hand and pointed it at Bakura, dead center.

"Why" he inquired in a sarcastically monotonous tone, "did we bring THAT along with us?"

"You know Pharaoh, 'THAT' has a name and it is BAKURA!" The white-haired yami shouted menacingly, before scowling and staring at the passing cars in silence. They were currently waiting outside an airport in Florida, their luggage surrounding them like sentinels while they watched the cars zoom past them along the busy road. They could see the bustling buildings around them, with people coming back and forth in their normally hectic lives. The whole atmosphere as just like that of Domino, save the fact that they were in the land of the invading palm trees and there were old people in one out of every three vehicles. And they were sweltering in the unnaturally moist heat—even Domino hadn't been this unbearably steamy.

Besides the presently small set-back, the rest of the trip and its planning had so far been a success. Though most of the weight had been placed on Yami and Yugi, they had some over-the-phone assistance from Anzu when it came to deciding who to bring along for the exciting little adventure. Once that was done they had to get permission for all their companions to travel from their parents or guardians.

Grandpa wasn't too hard to convince—he had his trust in the two teens to be mature, if their previous ventures had been any indicator. Anzu's real parents and her foreign exchange parents were both willing to let her have some time off, since she had won those tickets and had been responsible enough to handle herself well in a foreign country. Joey didn't need parental permission, if his dad was even sober enough to make the decision. Since Serenity had been spending time with Joey for the break, it was up to Joey's mother to say if it was okay, and seeing as she trusted Joey enough to let Serenity stay at her ex-husband's place she had full conviction that he would take care of her on the ship.

Tristan's folks were sticks in the mud about the whole idea, but gave in once Yugi began to beg—no one could resist Yugi if he gave them his cute, innocent pleads. How could they NOT trust such a good, obviously angelic child to not keep Tristan in line? They accepted immediately after.

As for Ryou, he lived in his own apartment so he didn't need anyone to give him permission to leave. That was seven tickets, leaving the last one for the infamous Bakura.

Yami was still staring intently at Yugi, waiting for answer; the shorter one sighed, knowing that he would have to explain this to his yami all over again.

"Ugh… listen Yami, Ryou wanted to come with us but he knew that if he left Bakura alone his house would end up being trashed…." Yami smirked as he glanced back over at the former tomb robber, who had his arms crossed across his chest defiantly and held his head high despite how Yami was enjoying the moment.

"It's not like I don't trash it anyways" mumbled Bakura to himself, though his grumbling was loud enough for the rest of the crew to hear it, along with his hikari. Ryou had been standing patiently in the distance for the most part but as the tension around his yami grew he approached the fuming thief and tapped him on the shoulder. Bakura's attention was drawn to the shoulder-tapper, and when he saw it to be Ryou he abruptly turned around again.

"Oh, Bakura stop being such a ninny!" Ryou said cheerfully, to which Bakura merely gave a grunt.

"No", the tomb robber stated, but that only served to make Yami's grin grow wider with amusement as Ryou continued to torment his yami.

"Come now, Bakura! We're going on a nice trip that Anzu, Yugi, and Yami were kind enough to let us go on! The least you could to is try and show a little gratitude—" but his words were cut off as Bakura whipped around and gave Ryou a death glare. The young teen flinched at the sight of his yami's anger, and though both Yami and Joey got ready to tackle Bakura if he so much as dared to injure Ryou, the thief only hissed out, "The Pharaoh and his stupid hikari just insulted me and YOU want ME to show gratitude! I swear I should teach you a lesson—"

"But you can't, Bakura" Yugi said, "or else, you know…." Bakura did indeed know, and so did Yami. Originally Bakura had been defeated by Yami and the crew during the visit to the Memory World, and though that was supposed to be the end of him the Gods had decided it otherwise. He was given a body of his own, and Ryou was assigned to him so that the evil thief could be redeemed and have a second chance at a new life free of evil… also the people in the afterlife couldn't stand him for more than two seconds, and they doubted that if there was a hell that they wouldn't accept him either.

It was also decreed that, if Bakura wanted to stay in the realm of the living, he was to be supervised by Ryou and with that Bakura could no longer hurt Ryou in any way, shape or form. If he did that, or used his shadow magic to harm anyone without a good reason, he would instantly turn into a spirit and be sent back to the afterlife to spend out the rest of eternity in rehabilitation. Apparently, Afterlife Rehabilitation must have been torturous because Bakura was still here AND following through with the rules that he had been reluctantly forced to obey.

He growled threatening, but not a single punch escaped through his clenched fist or an abusive cry from his trembling lips. Instead, Bakura gave a loud "huff", and then walked away in a single swift motion, his black trench coat billowing for a moment behind him as he ambled off. The air was filled with silence as Yugi walked over to place a hand on Ryou's shoulder; he was visibly shaking from the slight outburst but was actually handling himself well in comparison to how things used to be. In the past Bakura used to send waves of pure terror running through the albino teenager—things were a bit better, but Ryou was still having trouble getting Bakura to cooperate with him. Joey shook his head as he watched Bakura silently march so that he was a good fifteen feet distance away from them, before he stopped and stared back at the cars passing by.

"Dat jerk… he's never gonna change" the blonde mumbled distastefully, and with the void of the previous encounter gone the group fell into an uncomfortable silence.

Yami became bored with watching the road, as each car soon started to look exactly like the last one, and then began to stare at his small group of companions. Yugi was the closest to him, his body covered in the leather pants and black sleeveless shirt that he was so fond of. The heat didn't seem to faze him, even with the leather clinging to him the way it was, but Yami could see that his hikari did appear a bit on the angry side—he was too, due to Bakura's little quarrel.

Joey and Tristan stood side by side, and they were already over the whole thing with the tomb robber as they started to snicker to each other about the different girls they saw walking to and from. Joey had his messy blonde hair strewn over his face, but they could not hide his warm brown eyes from view; the weather had caused him to keep his jackets at home, instead settling with his white tee-shirt with the blue edges, which he wore in Battle City. Jeans were his pants of choice, along with his classic sneakers that Yami had won from the crook running the shoe store back in Domino (A/N: see the manga for that); he also wore some dog tags on a chain around his neck, just like the outfit he wore in Battle City.

Tristan had settled for a plain white tee and dark blue jeans, and with the simplicity of his outfit his hair stood out in all its glorious pointy-ness. He had on an oversized wristwatch and a pair of plain brown shoes, and that was all for him. Tristan had commented that his cooler stuff was in his luggage, but Joey made sure that everyone thought otherwise.

Then there was Serenity, who was staying back from the group after the incident out of obvious fear; Yami didn't blame her for being terrified by Bakura, considering that he was so heartless and terrifying… at least that was what Yami thought of him to be. The younger girl was wearing a pink shirt with thin spaghetti straps, and white Capri pants to go with her pink sandals. Yami noticed how Tristan always took a quick glance at Serenity every chance he got… it was almost too humorous how much Joey had to glare at his best friend for his prevailing failure of gawking at the blonde's sister when Joey was right next to him.

As for Ryou, he was wearing the typical blue and white striped t-shirt and light blue jeans so that he looked like Bakura's twin brother, since the tomb robber had adorned himself with the same outfit save the black trench coat that he always wore nowadays. Ryou was still the meek high school teen he had been when he first met Yugi and his friends—of that nothing changed. At least now Ryou was not plagued to have the same vessel as the dreaded thief he had for a yami, but then again, maybe having the spirit of the ring in a physical manifestation was just as bad.

Yami didn't mind the heat much as it soaked through his skin; he had on the same outfit as Yugi, along with the famous dog collar and gauntlets he enjoyed wearing. He looked exactly like Yugi, which did get him some stares from any passerby who happened to notice the uncanny resemblance. This made him a bit edgy, but all he had to remind himself was that Anzu would be coming soon to pick them up from the airport and taking them to the port where the _White Dragon _would be docked and waiting for them to board.

That had been the original plan, anyways: for Yami and them to take a plane to Florida, and from there Anzu will have already gone from New York to the sunshine state to get a car and greet them. The ride on the airplane hadn't been much better than the waiting had been so far, with Joey and Tristan pulling slight pranks on the stewardess and Bakura had been throwing side insults at Yami from behind his seat. No, the ride from Domino had not been a pleasant one, but at least Yami had gotten to Florida without killing the tomb robber and throwing him off the plane… that would have been a bit enjoyable, if it wasn't for the fact that Yugi wouldn't speak to him again about it for weeks… it wouldn't have been worth it then.

Already things had gone off on a rocky start, and with the tomb robber around Yami wasn't sure if he could take relaxation if said thief could not keep from being a nuisance. From what Anzu said the room arrangements had been situated so that Yami didn't have to be with Bakura… on that he could at least sigh with relief.

_Bakura's going to ruin this whole thing before it ever gets started_, the Pharaoh thought glumly as he stared off into space. He was so into his thoughts that he failed to notice when a large stretch limo pulled up to the sidewalk in front of him, until a familiar figure exited from the front passenger seat.

"Hey Yami!" the person shouted, and the teen's amethyst orbs instantly focused in front of him to see a very happy, very energetic Anzu Mazaki walking up to him. His mouth hung open in surprise, as he had not been expecting her and he had been roused from his thoughts so abruptly that he had no time to register what he saw.

His old friend hadn't changed much from her moving over to America; she still had her shoulder-length chestnut hair, which swayed as she moved gracefully with her dancer's body. Her skin glowed with a healthy look, and her eyes were the same aquamarine that made her look so radiant. A smile flashed on her face as the whole crew noticed her sudden arrival, and immediately she was swarmed from all angles by Yugi, Joey, Tristan, Serenity, Ryou—though his movements were still quite timid—, and Yami.

"Anzu!" Yugi shouted, as he ran right up to her and embraced the brunette forcefully. Anzu made the sound of someone who just had the wind knocked out of her, but quickly recovered as she hugged Yugi back.

"Hey Yugi!" She looked down at the smaller youth with surprise. "You didn't get taller did you? Seem higher up on me now." Yugi looked up at her with slight surprise himself, but then smiled warmly.

"I didn't notice if I did… but now I'll check!" he said cheerfully, but Yami knew that he must have been slightly annoyed that there would be any references to his height in this conversation whatsoever; Anzu must have forgotten.

"Hey Anzu, what's up?" Joey and Tristan said as they approached, their hands in their pockets as they made their way over to the rest of the group. Anzu continued to smile as though it was plastered onto her face.

"Nothing much—I just had to make sure the limo got here on time."

"Limo!" Serenity squealed, her hazel eyes scanning the huge stretched out jeep that was their car. "This is so cool! Thanks for bring me along, guys!"

Tristan tried to stand next to Serenity and put his arms around her shoulder. "It wouldn't be the same trip without you, Serenity" he said before slowly inching away due to Joey's menacing gaze.

"Alright guys", Yami said, as everyone's attention became drawn to him, "I guess we should get going then. We don't want to miss the cruise ship."

"Oh, right!" Anzu blurted out, running over to the back of the limo/jeep and flipping up the trunk as Joey and Tristan hauled over the luggage with moaning noises to boot. "I got so caught up in the whole thing… it's just so nice to see everybody again, after I've been away so long!" She was finally standing next to Yami, the two of them watching the procedures that occurred in front of them: Joey and Tristan were moving the suitcases and other luggage from the sidewalk into the limo as the driver, who was a thin man of no real important features and it almost seemed impossible for him to even lift a fly let alone heavy baggage. But he did, along with Serenity handing him things, and Ryou stood stiffly in the background watching the whole event. Bakura had taken some notice, but continued to display his ignorance to them all as he refused to move from his spot on the curb.

_Great_, Yami thought, agitated, _now we'll have to drag him with us and hold him inside the vehicle for the whole trip_… _this will be interesting_. Yami was glancing over at Anzu, who was watching her friends with the same benevolent face she wore at a constant; it was her claim to fame, her statement, her way of remaining sane in all that had once happened in the past. He admired her for that, since any regular mortal might have succumbed to the pressures of knowing about the Shadow Realm and still maintaining a civil life. If anything, she was one of the few who would even have the courage to stay close to such dangers in order to support her friends. Anzu, Joey, Tristan, Duke, and others he knew in his lifetime here in the living realm were one of a kind—the best friends that he could possibly surround himself with.

He couldn't wait to tell her about everything that had been happening over the last few months, such as school, Joey in the local buffet contest, and these really weird dreams that he had been having as of late….

---

The pier where the _White Dragon_ was docked was bustling with people, some foreign but the majority were American residents as they all prepared their luggage so that they could board the ship. It was so congested that one could become easily lost amongst the crowd… that was how Shadi preferred it to be.

He did not wished to be noticed, as he was far better known for appearing out of the air as he watched people under the cloak of his magic. He would stand out anyway, with his dark foreign skin, white turban with sand-colored robes, and electric blue eyes. His gaze made chills rise on the back of anyone's neck, as should happen—even Shadi's eyes were filled with ancient magic, far beyond the comprehension of normal mortals to understand and regard with respect.

At the moment he stood in a dark end of the pier, waiting for the person whom he wished to speak to. After a moment or so he saw her walk in, with her two brothers and half-brother in tow and a suitcase in each hand. Her mocha-brown skin made her and her family stand out amongst the mainly light-skinned vacationers, as well as her sand-colored dress and silky black locks. Gold jewelry sparkled on her as she strolled into the large room, where passports were being checked and luggage examined.

Though Shadi was concealed by his own magic so that he would not be easily seen, he observed how the woman's sapphire orbs traveled the room until they fell upon the space that he occupied. She motioned to her brothers to move on ahead of her, most likely creating some sort of excuse for them to think upon, before they went their separate ways with her quickening her pace to approach Shadi. As she neared he dismissed the mysticisms that made him nearly invisible to the other soon-to-be passengers, and then looked down at her with his dark blue eyes.

"Good to see you, Shadi" the woman stated unemotionally, as though she did not wish to stay within eye sight of the Egyptian tomb keeper. He did not smile as he addressed her, getting straight to the point.

"He will be here soon, Ishizu. I expect you to keep an eye on him as best as you can."

"Yes, I know Shadi. But are you sure that things won't get out of our hands? What if he does release—"

"He won't" Shadi assured her coldly. "The Pharaoh is strong—he will not yield to the temptations presented to him. This will merely be to test him… to see if he has truly conquered what lies within his soul." Ishizu nodded to show that she understood, but there were still doubts as she turned from the Egyptian man slowly.

"I should be catching up to my brothers now" she said quietly, and she took only two steps before hearing Shadi say: "You had best not fail this, Ishizu."

She turned to argue with him further, only to be met with an empty space.

---

Author's Note: _Well, here we go again! Another chappie to set the mood! Hope to update for you guys soon!_

**Yami**: Damn you, why did we have to have Bakura?

**Me**: Yami, you know this wouldn't be the same without him!

**Yami**: Yeah, sure… but at least it's not him AND Yami Marik… Thank Ra!

**Me**: (giggles)… Whatever you say, Yami….


	3. Sailing Smoothly

Disclaimer: I will say this once and I will say it now… I DO NOT OWN YGO! I have made this clear, so now no one can say anything against it! Ha! And Takahashi rocks for thinking up this wonderful manga/anime from which I so base this fan fiction upon. Thank you for your time.

Author's Note:_ Hola, my readers! It seemsthat would not let us log in for the LONGEST time, and now I am so glad that it's done and over with.So now I am very happy, and I would like to thank_ **Elfbrat18, Ancient Dreams, Feyannabellee, BlackRoseTenshi, YamiVal **_and_ **Pharaohyamifan**_for their reviews! You guys rock! And now, let's move onto_….

**Sméagol**: I WANT THE PRECIOUS!

**Me**: Shut up, Sméagol! Now, for Elfbrat18 and any other Lotr fans I have brought Sméagol into this little conversation of ours. Sméagol, would you like to say hello?

**Sméagol**: No, I just want the PRECIOUS!

**Yami**: Hey, authoress, where'd you hide the chips—Oh my Ra, WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?

**Sméagol**: (looks at Millennium Puzzle and drools) That's shiny… like PRECIOUS! Me want it!

**Yami**: Ra no! Get the hell away from me! You're like an uglier version of Bakura!

**Bakura**: Hey! Do not insult my new minion!

**Me**: (sweatdrops) Oh well… let's just get to the story, 'kay?

**Desert Aqua**

**By: Angel's Nocturne**

**Chapter 3: Sailing Smoothly….**

"Wow…." Yugi breathed as Yami gazed above him at the white monster that he would soon sail in. The _White Dragon_ was an enormous ship, as any cruise ship can tower over a human even when it is partially hidden by the sea. Yami had to admit that a cruise ship was certainly intimidating when one took it in for the first time—no photo could possibly capture the size of the ship that sat in the docks nearby.

"Dat thing's huge!" Joey exclaimed as Tristan made a whistling sound, both their eyes as wide as saucers as they looked through the window of the limousine. Serenity gasped, and Ryou merely looked at it with an incredulous stare. The only one who did not seem in any way enthused about the mammoth ship was the tomb robber, who simply glanced out his window at it and growled in distaste—Yami responded by glaring at him as he refused to let Bakura ruin this trip that Anzu was nice enough to let even a slime like the thief go on.

_I swear if he keeps this up I'll_—

"Okay guys, I think we should head for the ship" Anzu said cheerfully, interrupting Yami's destructive thoughts as she opened the side car door and exited quietly. Everyone followed suit, and the guys helped the driver to remove all the luggage from the trunk—though of course Bakura decided that he preferred to watch the luggage be removed rather than help do it. Yami could see Ryou looking extremely depressed as he sadly grabbed his white duffel bag from the rest of the group, and Yami wished that he could help him somehow; after all, the poor teen was stuck with Bakura and had to try and control him. He couldn't even speak to the tomb robber, let alone keep his yami out of trouble. This would be a long trip indeed.

Once all the luggage was removed from the trunk and the limo had been paid, the gang was left to their own devices as they walked into the pier and found the line where they were supposed to wait for inspection. As they stood amongst the other would-be passengers Yami finally had time to talk to Anzu about what was going on with his life lately—not that there was much to mention, as things had been sailing quite smoothly for him when it came to being a normal teenager. He went to school, hung out with his friends occasionally, and worked around the game shop. As for anything magical and superstitious, after the ceremonial battle the only thing mystical going on came from Bakura as he was still tempted to play around with his Shadow Magic. Like Joey's eating habits, Bakura's love of mischief failed to die a good death with the coming of his new life.

But there was something that slightly bothered Yami, and that was what he saw, not during the day, but in the middle of the night. He didn't know when it had started, but he had been having strange dreams that felt slightly like nightmares; ever night that he slept it was the same short yet disturbing delusion that even he could not fully decipher. They were so detailed while he slept but as soon as he awoke the images faded to the realms of his subconscious, thus making it hard to remember exactly what he had been dreaming about. But whatever he saw felt very wrong and the feeling of foreboding flooded over him in a constant wave that he could not control; whatever he was sensing was nothing of the good sort.

But those thoughts were soon forgotten as Anzu pulled his attention again, this time asking about the IDs both he and Bakura had to get in order to leave the country.

"Was it hard getting the fake ones to look real?" she asked innocently as they took a tentative step forward with the rest of the line. He shrugged nonchalantly.

"With Bakura's Shadow Magic it wasn't too difficult. He used it to conjure up all the false information" Yami said, but Anzu gave him a quizzical look.

"And how exactly did you get him to do that?" she questioned, her hand pointing to the white-haired thief as he tripped an old man who was heading in the line adjacent to theirs, laughing about it once he was done.

"Well, he didn't know what he was doing it for—we just told him it was just for some illegal fun."

"And he bought that?"

"I wouldn't have this if he didn't." Yami held up his passport and ID, which had his photo on it and some written information. Anzu curiously took them both and glanced at what was on it. "Yami Mutou, age 17, was born at Takahashi Hospital, is a current resident of Japan… wow, this does look realistic. I think you can pull it off quite easily."

Yami smirked, but then decided to change the subject briefly. "So, um, how's America? Is New York as you thought it to be?" The brunette looked at him with her big azure eyes for a bit, before looking away and saying quietly, "I think so. New York's kind of like Domino, only a little bit noisier and of course I don't have any of my old friends." She smiled a little at the thought. "But, they do have a really good dance school there that I'm attending—it's really nice, you should come to New York with me so that I can show you it sometime."

"Maybe" Yami whispered, as the line moved up yet again and the teen had to haul his large suitcase a few more inches forward.

"I mean, New York's great and all, but I miss all my friends. You, and Yugi and Joey, Tristan and Ryou, and even Bakura when it comes down to it. Things aren't the same without all you to hang out with." She locked over at Yami and gave him the warmest smile as she said, "But with this cruise, I get to see you guys again! This is going to be a great trip."

"I think it will be too" he said kindly, and he couldn't help but return her sweet smile with a smirk of his own. The moment lasted only a second or two before the line notoriously moved up again, and the smiles were broken as they were forced to pull their luggage forward one more time.

---

"Ugh, dat took FOREVER!" Joey groaned as they finally, after an entire half-hour of standing on line waiting for their passports to be checked and their luggage to be scanned. He trudged along forward as they marched up the narrow passage into the ship through the main entrance.

"Yeah, and it wouldn't have been that long if SOMEONE didn't pack a dead chipmunk in their suitcase!" Tristan eyed Bakura with enraged frustration, to which the tomb robber merely gave a death stare back. Even Tristan couldn't help but get chills from the lethal look in Bakura's cold eyes.

"Shut up, you mortal" he hissed, his arms crossed lazily over his chest, his eyes turning into chocolate slits. "I had my reasons. And I'm sure that _stink bomb_ you brought along for the trip was sure to pass through the scanners without being detected... moron" he muttered under his breath as he sauntered off to not be seen near them. Tristan sighed as he sweatdropped indignantly.

"Yeah, um, sorry about that guys" he said as his face heated up with embarrassment—Serenity was watching him along with everyone else. "It was supposed to be a small prank between me and Joey… we didn't think we'd get caught."

"It's okay, Tristan" Anzu said as sweetly as she could muster at the moment—the waiting had taken a toll on her patience as well. "At least the security guards didn't arrest you… we can thank Bakura for that." It was true; when the guards were about to arrest Tristan with having a weapon of "mass destruction" coming onto the ship, Bakura had used his Shadow Magic to... send the guards away for a little while. Yami had to thank Ra for those little one-way-trips to the Shadow Realm that Bakura was so fond of giving sometimes, so long as he did that to current threats and not to one of his classmates because they said the albino's hair looked funny. That never flew well with the tomb robber.

"So, um, what do we do now?" Yugi asked as they dragged their oversized bags through the main lobby. Everyone looked at Anzu, who in turn glanced down at her small pink wristwatch.

"Well, we're actually here a bit early, so I guess we can head for our rooms and unload some of our stuff before they call us down for the emergency assembly" she stated, and with that done she reached into her purse, where she had placed her _White Dragon_ identification card that was to be used as a key card and their way on and off the ship when heading for the islands. She gave a fleeting look at what was written on hers before saying, "Okay, it looks like our room numbers are on the lowest deck—Deck 4." She let her sapphire orbs rise up to make sure she had everyone's attention. "So, my guess is that we should take the elevators down to it."

"Alright, let's go!" Yugi announced in a chirpy mood, and with him and Anzu heading for the hallways to their right the rest followed like sheep in a herd. All except for Yami, who took a moment to look at an ice sculpture that was situated in the center of the lobby. It was in the shape of a dragon, and for what it was worth it seemed awfully familiar….

---

"Seto, this cruise is going to be so much fun!" Mokuba said as he took his small luggage bag and pulled the zipper open with a tiny hiss. "I'm so glad you took some time off of your job to go on vacation! It'll be fun, big bro!"

"Sure, Mokuba." The cold CEO stated as he typed away at his laptop, which was situated onto of the cherry-wood table that overlooked the main balcony. Yes, he did have a lot of work to get to and he had associates that needed to be spoken to, but after much begging and pleading from his little brother Kaiba finally agreed to take a vacation. It would be a ten day one, and though that would be a long time to be away from work his trust laptop would always keep him in touch with what was going on at KaibaCorp.

And what better way to spend his vacation then on his own cruise line? Kaiba, after the events of Battle City and the KC Grand Prix, decided to invest in other things besides games. He needed to expand his company, and if having his own cruise line didn't do it, then nothing would. He was now in the suite of his deluxe cruise, the _White Dragon, _so named because of his love for the Blue Eyes White Dragon. It only suited him that it be named after his favorite monster, as well as having others such as the _Blue Dragon_, and the _Duelist Dragon_ as others in the line of KaibaCorp. owned cruises. So far, business had been going splendidly, but now he wanted to see just what was so great about this experience. He wanted to be in the shoes of his customer, and of course the directors on the _White Dragon_ were more than happy to have the president of their funding company come on a trip with them. That was all Kaiba needed to be motivated onto the giant cruise ship.

Mokuba was incredibly excited about the whole situation himself. He eagerly unzipped his luggage and started to remove all the new clothes that Kaiba had bought for him for the trip, as he didn't care if he threw away some money for the trip. If it made Mokuba happy, then he would bear with it, and so far the overzealous grin on the young boy's face proved to be the only thing keeping Kaiba from heading back to Japan.

He didn't want to be there. He was already bored, and relaxation was not something that he was highly familiar with. If anything he loathed the word, because if he was taking the time to relax he could be at work making another deal for his company. He didn't have time to waste on such small trivial things as sleep or rest—as the president and CEO of a major corporation, it was his duty to stay focused and on the job.

But Mokuba had made it clear that Kaiba wasn't supposed to work for this trip whatsoever. His younger brother had finally realized that if Kaiba was ever to find some time to de-stress it was up to Mokuba to force it upon him. He would have to MAKE his older sibling relax, even if it killed him. Who knew how often Mokuba could ever have a decently enjoyable moment with his brother? If this was the only way to get it, then so be it.

"So, what to do first?" Mokuba half said to himself and half said to his brother, who was slightly ignoring him a he continued to pound away at the laptop that glared in front of him. "Eat at the buffet, or go to the pool… what do you wanna do, big brother?"

"I don't care Mokuba. Do whatever you want."

Mokuba looked at his elder with a slight pout. "But Seto! This is supposed to be OUR vacation! I don't want to spend it all by myself!" He got up close to where Kaiba was sitting and forced his face up to where the screen was, blocking Kaiba's view of it.

Kaiba sighed, annoyed. "Mokuba, I don't have time for—"

"PLEEEEAAASSSSSEEEE, SETO?" the boy pleaded, giving his brother the biggest, softest puppy eyes he could muster. "Just come hang out with me?" Kaiba tried to ignore it, but the guilt trip that Mokuba had sent him on started to take effect and was slowly leeching on his conscious. Defeated, he stared at Mokuba and gave him a sigh of surrender.

"Fine" he said, as he got up out of his seat and grabbed his trench coat from where he had hung it around the back of the seat. "Now where do you want to go again?"

---

Author's Note: _And I will leave you at that_…_ hehe I'm SO evil!_

**Yami**: OMIGOD will this thing PLEASE stop chasing me!

**Sméagol**: But I want the PRECIOUS!

**Bakura**: Yes, good boy! Good little Sméagol!

**Sméagol**: (looks at Bakura and Millennium Ring) That's shiny… and it's ring-shaped! IT'S PRECIOUS!

**Bakura**: Oh Ra… AHHH! Give me back the Millennium Ring, you stupid elf thing!

**Sméagol**: NEVER! (Runs away with Bakura's Ring and Bakura chases him).

**Yami** and **Me**: (sweatdrop)

**Yami**: Phew… at least he stopped chasing me….

**Me**: For now… okay my peeps, remember to send in your reviews or I will send Sméagol out to torment you! DO IT NOW!


	4. The Start of Something Beautiful

Disclaimer: What else can I say… I don't own YGO… and if there are any references made to a particular cruise ship then forget it… I probably am basing the cruise ship from which I went on for this story, but I REFUSE to say its name because that would be wrong anyways. So again, I do not own YGO… that is all.

Author's Note: _OMIGOD I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN LIKE FOREVER! Not since April 19th… dude that's a long time! Well, Now I'm back, I actually thought this story wasn't gonna fly very far but it turns out I was wrong! How silly of meh!_

_Now, many of the events that occur in the next couple of chapters will be based off of what happened to MY family while we were on our trip, so bear with me, there will be humor: some perverted and some just weird… you'll see when I get there._

**Sméagol**: Hehehe… (walks up wearing Ring)

**Me**: Hey Sméagol, have you seen Yami anywhere? (The dangling arms of the Ring glow and they point to a closed closet door) Oh… never mind. On with the fic!

**Desert Aqua**

**By: Angel's Nocturne**

**Chapter 4: The Start of Something Beautiful ….**

Yami and the others trudged on down the small, narrow hall that led to their rooms. It was like a kaleidoscope of color, with carpeting and walls that were the color of the islands and then some, and the doors were a simple white with key card slots for where their ID cards would go in for entrance. Despite how nice the whole thing appeared, no one paid any real mind to it as they were concentrating on the heavy bags that they dragged along the carpet.

"Anzu… we had ...ta carry... our bags… to da room?" Joey grunted as he hauled two huge bags of luggage through the hall. Anzu tried to nod but she was preoccupied as well with her equally-heavy suitcase.

"Sorry… Joey, but… it was cheaper… and faster—"

"Well I'd be there a lot faster if we had let them guys take our bags instead!" Joey whined as one of the ship's crew sauntered by them, his little Asian face painted with a permanent and almost forced smile.

"Good day, sir" the man said in a very thick accent. Joey simply grumbled as he lugged his baggage forward, a look of utter strain written on his face as his blonde hair fell in a messy heap over his face.

"Geez… dis just sucks" he mumbled as Tristan nodded along in agreement. From the back of the group Yugi's head emerged, and he was barely visible over the swarm of bags and hunched-over companions.

"Hey, Anzu!" he shouted, and almost everyone stopped to listen—everyone except Bakura, who just stood idly to the side anyway. "I think we're coming up on our room! Do you see it?"

Anzu stood beside Yami up at the front of their little human mass, both looking down the hallway at all the room numbers. They glanced at the ones closest to them as Anzu looked back at her key card. Her head tilted back up to look at the doors, her chestnut hair bouncing with her movements. Her sapphire eyes finally fell on a door not so far away.

"There—that's ours" Anzu said as she pointed to the room a few doors down. In an instant the parade that was them shot forward with energy they never had, and with a thud their luggage landed on the floor close to the door's entrance. Sighs of relief sounded as Joey wiped his brow with his sleeve.

"Man, I thought dis was a vacation" he griped, "Not some bellboy training session." He grinned as he looked about the group, looking for some responses to his joke; all he got were glares.

"Shut up, man, that's not even funny" Tristan mumbled, a sweatdrop as big a beach ball appearing beside his face. Anzu shook her head as she watched slipped the key card into the slot, watching as the locking mechanism blinked with a green light to signal an entry.

"Well, this is it guys!" she announced, and as she grabbed the handle of the door she flung it open, to reveal—

Joey sweatdropped. "That's it?"

The room they were looking into was small, not even fifteen feet in length or width—it appeared to be the room that a third grader would call their own. It started off as a narrow little hallway that led into a small cubicle of a room that had two beds along either side of the wall, and two bunk beds that folded down from the walls above. There was a mirror on the opposite wall, which now displayed the disappointed faces of five teenagers as they peered into the tiny space.

"This… is our room?" Yugi asked as he blinked owlishly at the two beds, which were barely a foot away from each other the room was so petite.

Silence reigned for a while until Joey broke it with, "How's all eight of us gonna fit in 'dere?"

His sentence was shortly followed with a smack to the back of the blonde's head. "OW! What'd I say?"

"You moron!" Tristan groaned, holding up his fist in an attempt to hit Joey again. "We're not ALL gonna stay in there! We have other rooms!" He looked to Anzu and gave her a pleading face. "Um… right?"

Anzu sighed as she rolled her eyes. Yami wondered if the stress of their two numskull friends would make her snap—he didn't know what Anzu was like when she was angered but he figured he didn't want to find out, especially when they were trapped out on the ocean. "Yes Tristan— you and Joey are sharing this room with Yami and Yugi. I'm with Serenity in the room across from this, and Ryou gets a room with Bakura right next to you." She pointed to the two rooms, one directly opposite the boys' room, and the other down one to the right.

"Oh, okay den!" Joey said as he sprang back up with enthusiasm, wrapping his right arm over Tristan and patting him on the back. "Now dat dat's all settled, me and Tristan are gonna drop off our bags and head over to da buffet table for some well-deserved grub!" He looked over at Tristan, a comical grin on his cartoon-like face. "Right, bud?"

Tristan let out a sigh but he smiled nonetheless. "Well, what the heck… it couldn't hurt anything, I guess."

"Den it's settled!" Joey announced flamboyantly. He took what he assumed to be both his and Tristan's bags—they were the smallest due to the fact that they are guys and as guys they wouldn't pack more than a toothbrush and some underwear—and tossed them squarely onto one of the beds. "See ya later, Anzu!"

"Hey, wait one second Joey! Tristan!" the brunette shouted as the two boys nearly hauled their asses to elevator at the end of the hall. They stopped in their tracks and turned around to glare at her.

"What now?" Joey snapped, and Anzu gave him a spiteful look in return.

"Joey, behave, will you?" she asked. "Listen, there's a mandatory meeting on the ship that'll happen in about an hour or so. When you hear seven short blows and one long one, go to…" she looked back at the pamphlet that she had found inside the guys' room, and glanced down a few paragraphs, "… go to the Masquerade Restaurant on floor eight. We'll meet you there."

"Is that it?" he asked impatiently. Anzu nodded.

"Yeah you can go" she moaned. With an unmanly squeak both boys took off down the hall, rounding the corner to where the elevator and stairs were that would take them up to the food court.

"Oh my…" Ryou breathed as he watched them take off. Anzu turned to smile at him, exhausted already.

"I know… they're such animals, those two" she admitted in a worn voice. Bakura, who had been standing in the background for the whole amusing event, snorted at them as he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

"Simple mortals are amused so easily, with all the earthly pleasures abound" he said in his dark voice, his brown eyes sharp as they gave cold stares to his hikari and the others. "Who knows what kind of _trouble_ they might get into if they're not careful…." Anzu could feel Ryou shiver at the sight of his yami's gaze, and she herself felt her heart beat sharply. Yami, who had been unpacking the whole time in their small room with Yugi, royally sauntered out as he returned the Tomb Robber's glare with one of equal potency.

"Leave everyone alone, Bakura" Yami said coldly. "The last thing they need is you causing _trouble_." The thief shrugged nonchalantly, since he obviously took no heed in the other teen's words.

"Why, Pharaoh? Is me commenting on mortal pleasures something you feel offended by?" he replied snottily, chuckling a bit as he watched him with cat-like eyes. Yami didn't respond with anything but an unnerving poker face—Anzu could sense that he would have none of the Tomb Robber's grief today.

"Oh, I'm sure you would be quite aware of mortal pleasures, now wouldn't you, _Thief King_?" he asked mockingly. Bakura growled in response, bearing his teeth.

"What are you trying to say, _Pharaoh_?" he spat; his voice, though still calm and sounding not at all threatened, had an edge as he addressed Yami. Yami just smiled.

"What I'm saying is being a thief such as yourself you should know what it's like to involve yourself in 'mortal pleasures', as you call them" he said, and then added, "Or perhaps you were too obsessed with revenge on me that you had no time."

The hair on the back of Anzu's neck bristled as she watched Bakura's eyes narrow. This wasn't going to end well. "Big talk for you there, Pharaoh…I guess you would be an expert at mortal pleasures, though, seeing as you were probably involved in nearly every sin imaginable due to your status as a _God_." Bakura smirked malevolently at his last comment, but Yami didn't take to it so well. His eyes suddenly got wide and he looked as though laser beams would shoot from them at the thief.

"How dare you…" he growled, and hi fists clenched into tight balls. Somehow World War Three seemed to start right then and there, as the air grew thick with hatred from both of the darks. "You don't even deserve to be on this ship, and here you are acting like an—"

"Oh, _I'm_ the one causing trouble? You started this little argument, Pharaoh, not me, and if you hadn't put your nose where it isn't supposed to be then you would see that—"

"You should stop acting so harshly to people! If you hadn't been so arrogant then maybe I would leave you alone—"

"You're just the _mighty Pharaoh_! You just have to make ME seem like the bad guy all the time and piss me off! You and your weak little excuse for a light…maybe one of these times I'll send both of you to the Shadow Realm and—"

"ALRIGHT THAT'S IT!" Yami directed his hand towards the Millennium Puzzle, and Bakura did the same to the Ring. The room began to grow hazy with a dark mist, and just as it looked like the two yamis would duke it out, Yugi, Anzu, and Ryou ran forward between them.

"Yami, stop it!" Yugi said as he grabbed his dark by the shoulders. Anzu went beside him and placed a hand on his back. "Just stop arguing already!"

Yami was too caught up in his battle that ha almost didn't notice Yugi standing there. After a second or two he looked down at his hikari and, though a deep frown appeared on his face as he took one last look at the Tomb Robber, nodded solemnly.

"Alright… I'm sorry, Yugi" he said, but that didn't stop him from sending Bakura death looks as the Tomb Robber's own hikari attempted to calm him down.

"Please B-Bakura, just… let it g-go!" Ryou said weakly, stuttering a bit as he stepped between Bakura and the Pharaoh. The Thief King merely snorted as he pushed Ryou aside, causing him to stumble.

"Silence, Ryou" he hissed, and then he marched over to where his room was. With a quick swipe of his key card the door was unlocked, and he slammed the door shut behind him with a resonating thud. The hallway was quiet for a while, save the faint sound of Ryou sighing as he steadied himself on his own two feet.

"Ryou, are you alright?" Serenity asked as she came forward from hiding down the hall. The albino boy nodded.

"Yes, I'm alright. Just a bit shaken, that's all" he said sheepishly. Yami growled a bit as mumbled under his breath, "Insolent Tomb Robber…."

"Yami, what's with you?" Yugi asked as he looked into his yami's violet eyes, which for some reason had a tint of red in their coloration. "You've been having such a short temper lately, especially with Bakura. Are you okay?" Yami rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, and sort of stared off at nothing as he thought about what Yugi said.

"I… couldn't control myself, Yugi. Bakura was just being such a fiend that I got so angry with him… he's been getting on my nerves."

"Has this been happening a lot?" Anzu inquired; Yami nodded slightly.

"For a while I've had such a short fuse…I really don't know what came over me. But it happens all the time—mostly with the Tomb Robber because he's the only one who would act so obnoxiously." The Pharaoh narrowed his eyes at the door where the white-haired thief had escaped to, as though sending pain through it to the room's occupant. Yugi again placed a hand onto Yami's shoulder.

"Maybe you're just stressed from the ride—jet lag or something like that. You should go rest up in our room" Yugi said. "Remember, this is supposed to be a vacation—you might need to relax more in order to enjoy it. You'll be miserable if you're stressed."

Yami was silent for a moment, as he felt the anger of the previous fight pulsate in him like a bomb that could explode again if the right trigger was pulled. He shook his head and brought his hand to his forehead. Why did he suddenly feel like castrating Bakura? He knew that he loathed the former thief, and the albino's naturally conceited attitude drove him insane every time he had to be near him—so now he wondered if this trip was even a good idea in the first place—but it wasn't just that. Anytime he felt a tad angered or annoyed a strange rage sort of built up inside of him… it had been that way since he could last remember getting his own body. It didn't seem like anything serious—he just tended to experience a bit more rage than he used to when he was with Yugi. Maybe it was because Yugi's light had always balanced his already untamed nature, but for whatever the reason when he got that way he felt so explosive, as though the monster in him grew and he could not stop it. Nothing serious ever came out of his tiffs, but he wasn't sure if that's how he should feel—it might have just been the stress of the new body and being by the Tomb Robber.

_I can always blame it on the Tomb Robber_ he thought. _At least that's a liable excuse, since everyone gets mad at him to begin with_….

"Yami? Hello, Earth to Ya-mi?" The Pharaoh snapped back to the present time, and realized that Anzu was trying to talk to him. "Stop zoning out on me, Yami."

"Oh, sorry Anzu. I'm just not feeling myself" he admitted. Anzu eagerly nodded in agreement.

"I'll say—you nearly had a Shadow Game with Bakura! On the cruise ship!" she laughed at how incredulous that seemed, and Yami smiled a bit. "I think you might need that rest Yugi was talking about, Yami. Why don't you just hang out in the room for a bit while me and the others go take a look around the ship for a bit?"

Yami pondered it for a few seconds, wondering if sleep was enough to out-weigh exploration of the ship they would spend an official week on. The urging of a small yawn made his decision a hint clearer.

"I think you might be right, Anzu" he said as the both of them walked back into the room that him and the guys would be staying in, just as Yugi was coming out. The smaller of the tri-colored haired boys gave his yami a kind smile.

"Just take it easy for a while" Yugi said. "I think the jet lag is just getting to you. Take a breather so that you're all set for tonight, so that we can go out and stuff."

"No problem" Yami replied as he watched his two best friends walk towards the door which was only about four steps away from the beds to begin with. Pushing their way through crowds of luggage they headed out the door. Just before the exited Anzu poked her head into the room from where she was standing in the hall.

"Enjoy your R and R, Yami" she said, and then the door closed with a slight click. Silence overwhelmed the air in seconds, and the comforting hum of the room as the air conditioner was kicking in seemed to only harness the quiet. Yami grabbed the remote control to the small television that they had in the room, and turned it on as he flopped down onto the bed that didn't have Joey's bags on it. He flipped through the channels lazily, not really watching what was on, as he felt a slight feeling of drowsiness overcome him.

_I guess I am tired_… he thought to himself, as his eyelids grew heavy and dropped over his amethyst orbs in stressful exhaustion. It wasn't long before the TV was left playing for no apparent reason, as its only viewer had drifted into a light sleep.

---

Author's Note: Yeah, if that wasn't drama-packed for ya… I don't know, I just started typing and I came out with this chappie. Go figure.

**Smeagol:** Ooh... precious...

**Me**: (looks at locked closet door) Well... he can't stay in there forever.

**Yami:** (in closet) Yes I can!

**Me:** (sweatdrops)


	5. And It Just Gets Better!

Disclaimer: Um, what should I say here? I don't own YGO, or cruise ships, or Sméagol, or really Asian crew workers _for_ the cruise ships that I said I do not own. Clear?

Author's Note: _Hey, for anyone who is curious, I have a poem fanficiton going on right now. It's called _"Shadow Realm Literature",_ and I actually have one on Atemu's leaving and one on Bakura's treatment of Ryou… if anyone is interested on how Teh Angel does on poetry please tune in! You may be surprised._

_And it is over! Officially over! YGO has ended for meh now… time to upload from YouTube! I'll never leave my computer now… I just have to get it to my room now and out of the dining room, so that I can have it all the time… yeah, I wish._

**Bakura:** Damn Sméagol, that stupid elf, he has my Millennium Ring now!

**Yami**: That's too bad… chuckle

**Bakura:** (twitch) … You say something Pharaoh? (yells out) Oh Sméagol!

**Yami:** (panics) NO, I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING!

**Bakura:** (smirks) That's better. Good little Pharaoh… emphasis on 'little'….

**Yami:** (mumbling)…You mother effing thief, I'll kill you….

**Me:** O.o

**Desert Aqua**

**By: Angel's Nocturne**

**Chapter 5: And It Just Gets Better….**

Joey stood as still as possible. This was the biggest decision of his life, the one that would decide it all… he would have to think carefully before executing his next move. Everything was riding on this, and it was all on his shoulders… he would make the choice, he would command fate…. He was the one who would—

"Joey, just pick a flavor!" Tristan yelled, causing Joey to twitch a little at his friend in response.

"In a sec, Tristan! I'm concentrating!" Joey responded, as he stared at the ice cream containers in deep thought. "… now, chocolate, or vanilla… chocolate, or vanilla…." Tristan sweatdropped as he glared at his blonde-haired friend in frustration. The man running the ice cream bar had a similar expression as well.

"Come on kid—I haven't got all day" the man mumbled, before promptly excusing himself and flitting about in a panic. "Oh, so sorry, I meant, take your time! No rush! This is _your_ trip, so take as long as you want!" Tristan just stared at the man while Joey straightened himself and nodded proudly.

"Dat's more like it…" the blonde said, before squinting down at the glass which separated him from the ice cream containers inside. "Now… I guess I want… CHOCOLATE!"

Tristan sighed, licking away the last of his ice cream cone. "Is that you're final answer, man? Because if it's not I'm leaving you here to decide—"

"NO IT IS!" Joey shouted. "I CHOOSE CHCOLATE!" Joey blinked when he realized that the man behind the counter was watching him very nervously. "I mean, can I have some chocolate ice cream, in a cone, please?" The man shrugged, his pudgy face scrunched into a forced smile as his uniform hat slipped a little off the side of his bald head. His mustache bristled as he straightened himself up.

"No problem sir" he replied, but as he began to scoop some the chocolate ice cream into a waffle cone he made another fatal error as he asked, "Want toppings now? We got chocolate syrup and caramel."

"Hmm, syrup or caramel… syrup or caramel…." Joey was once again pondering in deep thought, and Tristan could only hold back his left fist from knocking Joey out cold with annoyance. They had escaped the rest of the gang for a bit, and though they were both terribly disappointed that the buffet was not open as of yet they had managed to sneak outside to where the pool and the ice cream bar were. From what Tristan could see, things looked like paradise: sun, a large in-ground pool, girls in bikinis, and an ice cream bar from which Joey is finding all his amusement in. Tristan attempted to zone out by staring at some particularly skimpy girls strutting around the poolside, but when he did he felt an over-whelming sense of guilt brew inside of him. And he had a good idea about why that was… Serenity.

Joey had told him a million times to lay off his younger sister, but Tristan really couldn't help himself—he just thought that she was so cute with her petite nature and shyness. At first he just wanted to bug Joey by hanging out with his sister, knowing that the blonde would be very protective and it would torment him to no end if his best friend was flirting with his innocent sister. But then he actually met Serenity, and he realized that she wasn't just some cute girl that Joey just happened to be related to; she was sweet, shy, soft-spoken, and most of all, cared for her older brother with such an undying devotion. Tristan instantly came to like her, and if it wasn't for the fact that Joey would tear him to shreds and throw him into a bonfire he would definitely ask her out. Now that they were on this cruise ship, though, he might just get to spend the time with her that he needs—

"Hey Tristan, you done ogling them girls?" Joey hissed in his ear nonchalantly, but Tristan jerked in surprise anyway, nearly dropping his cone. He cursed under his breath.

"I was not 'ogling' anyone, Joey!" he said harshly. "And are you finished already? I was sure you were gonna take at least a half hour."

"Nope, cause I'm smart!" Joey replied proudly, and before Tristan could respond the blonde showed him his dripping ice cream cone, which was notably covered with brown and gold syrup. "I couldn't decide, so I got both! Pretty smart, right?"

"Um, sure Joey…" Tristan said as he stared around the pool one last time. Both of them headed for the automatic glass doors that opened swiftly as they approached, and they walked through the buffet as Joey started to devour his ice cream, making horrible noises while doing so. Tristan sighed at his buddy but thought nothing of his behavior—Tristan chose him as a friend, and no matter how much he wanted to smack him, he would still be his best bud from now till death. At least that's what he could hope for.

"Joey, shouldn't we head back to the room now? The others are probably worried we've been gone so long…." His voice trailed off as he realized that he was talking to the air—Joey wasn't with him.

"Joey?" he asked, blinking at the fact that he just saw the blonde there a few seconds ago. He quickly spotted him a little ways down, staring at something over by the dining area. Joey looked so shocked that he had frozen into a slight daze. Tristan slapped him on the back. "Come on, man! No time to get lost on me!"

Joey just gave Tristan a blank look back—his eyes were still open very wide and he appeared as though he had seen a ghost. The blonde hesitantly whispered to Tristan in a voice so low that the other boy had to lean in to hear what he was saying.

"Look… over… 'dere" he hissed. Tristan gave him an odd look.

"Where, man?" he hissed back, and the blonde's brown eyes motioned to a table that was hidden from view by a tall palm tree and the oversized pot it was in. Tristan nodded and looked through the branches of the tree, carefully peering at who sat at that table… what he saw nearly made his eyes pop out of his head. Sitting in the booth seat were none other than Mokuba and Seto Kaiba… Tristan nearly gasped but that would have been too loud. He gaped at them instead, as Joey just nodded alongside his friend.

"Dude, it's Kaiba!" Tristan exclaimed in a hushed tone. Joey nodded again, but Tristan couldn't believe it still. "But, why is he here?" Tristan took another look at the two sitting in the booth, and then turned back to Joey. "Are you sure that's him?"

"I've glared at his big head enough times ta know, Tristan! Don't doubt me!" Joey spat. "Dat's moneybags for sure! 'Dere's no other way it can't be dat snotty, cold-hearted bastard…."

"I get the picture Joey, you hate his guts. But there's more then that—what the hell is he doing here? It can't be just coincidence!"

Meanwhile, Mokuba was busy chatting along about the different desserts on the menu while Kaiba simply sat there, his arms crossed and a bored look on his face. He was without his laptop –by request of Mokie—so that he would have his full attention with his little brother. He loved Mokuba, there was no doubt about that, but there was a limit on how long he could be away from work. As far as Kaiba was concerned, he was married to his work, and so he felt obligated to remain within its sights like a scared husband does for a bossy wife… he needed to keep the company if he wanted to keep Mokuba happy like this. Like now, as the raven-haired boy smiled and grasped his brother's hand—a small smirk came across the CEO's face, but then it was quickly replaced by a grimace as he felt a twinge on the back of his neck.

"What's wrong, big brother?" Mokuba asked, worried. Kaiba shook his head as his piercing blue eyes traced around the room.

"It's nothing, Mokie" he replied, but as he watched the room he thought to himself, _Why do I feel like we're being watched_?

At the same instant….

"Dude, DUCK!" Tristan hissed as they both watched Kaiba's eyes look in their direction. Both boys comically crouched behind the potted plant, with Joey peeking a bit over the edge to see if Kaiba was still eyeing them. When the CEO's sapphire orbs were back on Mokuba, both boys sighed and wiped their brows.

"That was a close one" Tristan mumbled, and all was quiet until he heard a faint sound. Like giggling… he looked over at Joey to see that the blonde had his hand over his mouth, as though holding back a hysterical guffaw. Tristan rolled his brown eyes. "What the hell is wrong with you now?"

"… Nothing, but…" Joey continued to snicker despite himself. It got so bad that even after he stifled his chuckles he had to wipe the tears out of his eyes. He sniffled as he smirked like a hyena. "Think about it, man! We're trapped on a ship with moneybags! Think of what we can do!"

Tristan blinked. He didn't want to think about what Joey must have been thinking… whatever that was. "Do? Dude, this is KAIBA we're talking about!" Tristan glanced over the potted plant again at the CEO. "Anyway, what on earth is he doing here anyways? On the same ship as us?"

"Hmm… maybe he's stalking me" Joey said in thought, which wasn't truly much to begin with but somehow his brain grew such a capacity anyways. "Yeah, dat's it! He's realized dat I'm better dan him so he's comin' here ta duel me! YEAH, finally! Now I can show dat rich basta—" Tristan promptly punched Joey across the head.

"That is not it, you idiot!" Tristan hissed. "But he still here, for whatever reason… what should we do?"

"What a ya mean, what should we do?" Joey said, his eyes sparkling with something very, very mischievous. Tristan gulped nervously. _Oh boy_…. "Dis is our chance ta make rich boy pay his dues! Think about it—he doesn't know we're here! So, we can prank him da whole week! It'll be perfect!" Joey started to giggle again, though now it seemed more like the quieter version of an evil cackle. Tristan just sweatdropped in response.

"Is that it?" Tristan asked. Joey just smirked like he knew an inside joke—the thought of that smirk was something Tristan knew was bad news.

"Nah, it's also… you're kinda sitting in our ice cream, man" Joey hissed, and then howled laughing a silent laugh as Tristan realized what Joey was talking about. When they went to see Kaiba, they had accidentally dropped their ice cream cones near the base of the potted plant in shock, and since they completely forgot about them Tristan accidentally sat on them. He had been wondering why is bottom felt cold, but this…?

He felt the sticky liquid as he dusted off his rear, and as he looked at his hand he saw chocolate and caramel syrup drip off his fingers. His face went red with embarrassment and anger as Joey rolled on the ground, dying of hysteria. Tristan glared at him maliciously.

"JOEY!"

---

Around the same time, Serenity looked up from where she was folding clothes in her and Anzu's room. Anzu, who was hanging shirts beside her, noticed and asked, "Something wrong?"

The younger girl just shook her head. "No, I just thought I heard Tristan for a second… guess I must have imagined it."

"I hope those two do alright on their own… and don't get into too much trouble" Anzu replied as she removed another blouse from her bags and hung it up in the tiny space that was the closet. She looked over her shoulder at one of the beds, where Ryou was timidly sitting as he twitted his thumbs. "How are you doing over there, Ryou?"

The albino boy blinked owlishly at her as he focused back on reality. "Um… okay, I guess… why do you ask?" The dancer shrugged as she removed a pair of shorts from her luggage, returning her gaze to her work of unpacking.

"No reason, you just seem a little upset up from that fight earlier. The way Bakura pushed you, I would be a little shaky too." Ryou nodded in agreement, before flopping onto the bed so that he could stare up at the ceiling. He folded his arms behind his head as his brown eyes glistened in the artificial light.

"I hate it… when he gets like that" Ryou said, and the two girls stopped their work to listen in. They felt very bad for Ryou, considering the fact that he had to put up with such a foul demon all the time. He didn't seem to notice their sympathetic gazes though, as he continued on. "Bakura is always acting like… the way he always does, so mean and such. I wish I could fight him, or at least learn how to get through to him, but…." The boy sighed as he sat up onto the bed, bringing his legs up so that he hugged them with his arms. His chocolate eyes glazed over a bit as he rested his head on his knees. "I'm too bloody weak to fight back. I'm so afraid of him, after all he's done to suppress me when we were in the same body. He controls me and I have no way of making him listen—especially since he doesn't care about me to begin with."

Anzu, with her blue eyes full of concern, approached Ryou slowly and sat next to him on the bed, placing her hand on his shoulder tenderly. "It's okay, Ryou. Listen, you're not weak, you just need to be a little braver. You can face Bakura, I know you can—you just need a little support."

"That's right" said a voice; everyone turned to see Yugi standing near the door to the room, a couple pamphlets in his hand as he walked inside and closed the door behind him. "That's what we're here for, Ryou—to support you so that you can be brave enough to face Bakura. And maybe he does care about you, more than you may think he does."

"That's easy for you to say, Yugi. You have a yami who cares about you, unlike mine…" Ryou choked a bit, and Anzu patted him on the shoulder. She then turned her attention back to Yugi. "I thought you went to the lobby to get information" she said, and Yugi nodded in response.

"I did, see?" He held up the pamphlets and brochures in his hand for proof. "I got a lot of stuff for the islands really easy, except the woman at the counter thought I was some kid who lost his parents. Being short sucks…" he mumbled. "But yeah, I got back a little while ago and you guys didn't really notice so I just stood here, listening." He stood there for a few moments, looking around as though thinking about something he was trying to remember. Then he walked up to them and sat down on the bed beside Anzu. "Speaking about yamis, what happened earlier is still worrying me…."

"With Yami and all?" Serenity asked. Yugi nodded his head solemnly.

"What he said before was true—he _has_ been acting a bit high-tempered for a while, especially around Bakura. I don't blame him, but it still bugs me… he never acted like that when we were together, and now all of a sudden he gets into fits of this, like, _rage_, and it scares me a bit. What's happening to him?" Yugi's eyes were downcast as he slumped his shoulders, worried—Anzu couldn't help but feel his pain as she put her free hand on his shoulder.

_What's happened while I've been gone_? she wondered as she looked at the two hikaris as they felt each other's depression. She felt like so much had changed while she was away in America… what was she to do now, to try and help? She could not let them suffer like this, with worry and hurt plaguing their fun trip for the week; she had to try and make things better.

"Yugi, maybe Yami's just a bit stressed from the new body—give him time, maybe he'll be better after this trip." Yugi looked up at the brunette, with a blank expression at first. Then he softly smiled as he took in her words.

"Thanks Anzu. Maybe he will, after he relaxes a bit." Yugi got up from his seat and stretched his arm up to the ceiling. Anzu smiled as the spiky-haired boy straightened his school uniform and started to take some more clothes out of the luggage for Anzu to put away. "Who knows, maybe the R and R in the other room is helping already…."

---

_Yami was wandering in a dark maze, of which he wasn't sure where he was. It resembled his old soul room, the labyrinth that that used to be, except that there was no light to shine upon the golden walls, instead replaced with a venomous purple glow in pure darkness. It was as though the Shadow Realm had taken residence there, and as the black fog rolled on by his feet, Yami scowled at the darkness._

"_Where am I?" he whispered out loud as he continued to walk through the darkness, his shoes clicking along the stone floor beneath him as he wandered more. He felt the weight of the shadows over him, and he could not help but shiver in response. He knew that he was not in any form of reality—he was somewhere in his mind, in a dream of sorts for he knew a place such as this could not truly exist. He didn't know how he came to be there or why—one second he had been staring at the glowing television screen in the cruise ship room, and just as his eyelids drooped over his violet orbs he was here, walking in darkness._

_(This is my dream then… the nightmare I always have) Yami thought as he quietly walked through the dark and hazy room. When he woke up the details had always been sketchy, but as soon as he entered the labyrinth of darkness he recognized it as his dream again—he had no idea what would happen, only that he had been here before, searching for something. He growled as he stared into the black and purple mist._

_He loathed it, this feeling that he got from this place. It was heavy and oppressing, so dark and alive with evil… it wasn't just weighting him down from the outside, but somehow inside his chest as well. He felt like there was a lump of lead in place of his heart, and he could get rid of this sensation—instead it grew stronger as he meandered about, not knowing that something lay ahead of him the shadows until he saw a faint form in the blackness._

"_What is that?" He approached it cautiously, and as the fog cleared away he discovered it to be a door which stood in the middle of nowhere; it was made of black iron and obsidian stone, and it was covered in odd symbols that Yami could not decipher. Carefully he walked up to the double doors, feeling a presence humming off of it that was both tempting and frightening to behold. He both wanted to open the door and leave it alone, though he was not sure of which way he should go. He was about to turn away when he sensed that someone was standing behind him. He abruptly turned on his heels to face whoever was sneaking up behind him._

"_Who's there?" Yami asked sharply, but he stopped short as he took in the person who stood before him, now sauntering towards him. "You…!"_

"_There is no need to be frightened, Yami" the person said. "After all…." The man came out of the shadows, and with it his full form came into view. He was tan-skinned, and he wore a white tunic with a violet cloak that billowed behind him. He was decorated with gold as it dripped off him in all sorts of jewelry, including the pyramid-like puzzle hanging from his neck, and even from the head band that covered his forehead with a large Eye of Wedjat. His hair was black, tipped with red and purple, save his wild bangs as they stuck out all over his hair with a striking blonde color. His crimson eyes gazed at Yami with power and royalty, as he gave the teen a fleeting smile. "…I am you."_

_Yami was dumbstruck as he gazed upon the embodiment of himself—it looked exactly as he did when he was in the world of memories, when he was Pharaoh. Yami's purple eyes widened, but then he regained his composure as he smirked at the figure. "So, if I am Yami, then who are you supposed to be?"_

"_I am Atemu, who else?" the Pharaoh said regally, and Yami returned the reply with a scowl. "Don't be confused, it's very simple. I am the quintessence of your memories—all your ancient memories from before you wiped your mind and became imprisoned in the puzzle. In essence, when you went to the Memory World, I was freed from within your mind, and I have come to help you…."_

_Yami blinked, perplexed. "Help me? With what?" Atemu smirked._

"_With finding out who you truly are. With returning you to how you rightfully were, before you wiped your memory… to help you to become who you once were, when you were me—"_

"_No!" Yami interrupted, and though he was at first surprised with how sharp his voice was he kept it as harsh as a dagger when he spoke. "Listen, I am no longer that person… I am not you. I am Yami—I am no longer the Pharaoh I once was. I plan on staying that way." Despite his argument, the Pharaoh just sauntered towards the other, and with a smirk on his face he placed a hand on Yami's shoulder—Yami shivered at the contact but for some reason was unable to push off the tanned hand, and Atemu smirked at this._

"_I know how you must feel, but you will understand soon enough that it is the right path to take. You see that door behind you?" Yami glanced behind him at the black door, and nodded reluctantly. "That is what leads to your true memories, and with them, the ultimate power you once owned as Pharaoh. I am your embodiment of memories, but the only way to obtain them and revive your true self is to open that door—something I cannot do myself. Watch." Atemu released his hold Yami's shoulder as he walked towards the door, his cloak flapping behind him from a non-existent breeze. Yami watched as the Pharaoh placed a hand onto the knob, which was a blackened version of a three-dimensional Eye of Wedjat, and his violet eyes grew wide as Atemu's hand passed straight through it, like a spirit's hand would. Atemu turned around to face Yami again._

"_You see?" he said. "I cannot access it. But you can—if you are willing you can open the door to your memories, and regain what you once lost. Being in the Memory World did not give you back all your memories… it just showed you what had occurred in your last days of life. You have no idea how you really felt, how you really thought about things—from wiping your memory clean you have become an empty shell of what you once were, and by opening this door you can become Atemu again, and be the person you were forced to forget. Do you wish to do that?"_

_Yami looked from Atemu to the door, and then to Atemu again. He knew the obvious answer, but why did he feel so confused now? It was as though his mind was becoming as hazy as the room around him—he had to escape this place. And at the thought of ultimate power he instantly felt a longing grow inside of him, a longing for that awesome power… he quickly stifled it. He shook his head as Atemu approached him again._

"_No, that's not what I want. I have become Yami now, and I have a life, friends, and feelings that are my own—I don't wish to become someone else" Yami responded, and though Atemu just smiled at him kindly why did he feel like some sort of malice lay behind the reflection of his very own eyes? Atemu placed his hand on Yami's shoulder again, and with it Yami felt his arm tingle with a strange sensation—what was going on?_

"_I understand, and in time you will too. There are things that you do not know about yourself, Yami, that will come into the light soon. You will not understand them, because you will not remember who you are inside. In time, you will be ready to open that door." Though the sensation in Yami's arm grew stronger, Yami shook his head confidently._

"_I doubt you could ever convince me to return to my past self" he said, but as the room suddenly became hazy with shadows that blanketed Yami's sight, Atemu only tightened his grasp on Yami's shoulder. _

"_We'll see very soon." Yami was now surrounded by a cloud of smoke and shadows, and though he could no longer see Atemu he could still feel the grasp of his hand upon him, and the cold touch of his skin on his. He couldn't feel the ground beneath his feet, and he could not feel his own heart beat as the darkness came closer and drowned out his senses, and yet he could still feel the hand on him, clenching tighter to hold on. Yami was near the point of panic, trying to yell out while his own ears could hear him shouting, when all of a sudden_… he was back in the cabin room on the cruise ship, staring at the television that he fell asleep watching.

Yami still couldn't believe what had happened. He was in a cold sweat and gasping for breath… in his heart was racing as he wiped the moisture off his brow. Like every normal person does with their dreams, the details of what he just experienced became fuzzy and unclear… he really could not recall everything that happened. It was all a blur, but he remembered seeing another him, the Pharaoh version of himself—he remembered a door, and then he remembered… just that. All the rest ran together like fresh paint assaulted with water, and he could see no more. He noted a strange tingling sensation on his shoulder, but that was all that felt different as of now.

At first he could only here the mumbling from the television, but as his ears became intone with the sounds around him, he took note of a strange kind of beeping, like an alarm. Then a voice came over a loud speaker, for which Yami had to turn down the volume on the television to hear—it sounded like a black man's voice, one full of spunk and flavor.

"_Hello all passenger on the White Dragon! This is the emergency alarm, for which we will be performing an emergency testing system. Please go to your assigned locations with life jackets on properly and await further instructions." _Yami sighed when he realized that that was all.

_I better get going if I want to meet Anzu and the others there_. Quickly Yami grabbed his card key and headed out of the room, shutting the door securely behind him to go to floor eight. What he did not realize was that in the shadows of the small cabin room, a man wearing a sand-colored robe and turban was watching him with cold, electric blue eyes. He stood in the room, basking in the humming of the television as it was left to play by itself.

_And so it has begun, my Pharaoh._

---

Author's Note: _Holy crap that was LONG! But eventful, for sure! Review to tell; me what you all think!_

**Marik:** When am I in this?

**Me:** Soon, very soon.

**Marik:** (licks lips) Perfect! Kukuku….

**Sméagol:** I still have the Precious!

**Marik**: (blushes) Well hello there, handsome.

**Me:** Oh Ra no….


	6. Serendipity with Maniacs

Disclaimer: I do not own YGO. If I did, Yami would be Anzu's boyfriend, Joey and Mai would be an item and Bakura would be in a straightjacket. That has not happened yet, so we can assume I only own this fan fiction, clear?

Author's Note: _As I have been telling all my reviewers, I know I haven't updated in a while and that may end up being the case all summer. I am a busy, busy person (and yet somehow I am lazy… what a contradiction)… what I meant to say was that I can't get on the computer very often so that's why I can't always update. But I'll try, just for my wonderful reviewers, since I would be nothing without you (glomp) Thankies! _

#2 Author's Note: _Thoughts in italics, telepathy in italics… yeah, that basically covers it. What else is there? _

**Marik**: Look what I got, Malik!

**Malik**: (looks at Sméagol) … What the hell is that thing?

**Marik**: (giggles)… Your replacement. MWAHAHAHAHA!

**Malik**: O.o… WHAT?

**Marik**: See ya! (runs away with Sméagol)

**Malik**: GET BACK HERE!

**Me**: …What have I done?

**Desert Aqua**

**By: Angel's Nocturne**

**Chapter 6: Serendipity with Maniacs**….

Yami exited his cabin quickly, closing the door behind him and checking to see that it was locked. He was about to walk towards the elevators when he stopped in is tracks and looked at one of the cabin doors—the one to Bakura's room. He glared at it menacingly.

_I wonder if the Tomb Robber left yet for the emergency drill_… he thought, knowing how aggravated he would feel if he knew Bakura ended up ignoring the whole event and stayed in his room, most liking plotting, scheming, and fuming about their reason squabble. He could see the white-haired demon now, sitting on one of the beds throwing a knife up and down as he imagined Yami being eaten by sharks… the Pharaoh was now shooting death glares at the door, his eyes alit with fire!

_I'll kill that bastard_! Yami raged towards the door, and even though he could not open the door because he had not the card key for it, he decided that a little Shadow Magic never hurt anyone… as long as it castrated Bakura. Letting his hand glide over the door handle, he felt his Shadow Magic swirl around the handle, and the familiar click of the door unlocking was heard as Yami smirked to himself. For some reason he felt an odd ache coming from his shoulder, as though it was reacting to the usage of his Shadow Powers… Yami shrugged that thought aside as he quickly opened the door, letting it fly open as he prepared to scare the living soul out of the no-good thief—

But he was nowhere to be found! The room was quite empty, and clean, except for Bakura's knife collection which it looked like he had been unpacking while he was in there… Yami sweatdropped as he gazed upon about fifteen sharp daggers just on the bed, all glittering under the artificial light of the cabin room. _Figures… no good Tomb Robber he **has** to bring his knives along too_! _Probably to kill me with_…. His eyes continue about the room, but still there was no albino menace to be found. The bathroom was empty, not that Yami would have been glad to see the thief in there either, doing Ra-knows-what. He was finally left to wonder where the thief had gone to….

_He's probably tormenting some poor staff worker, the slime_… Yami resisted the urge to want to shove him off the boat. Why did he suddenly feel such a hatred towards him, where he should be expressing something similar to pity or even forgiveness? Okay, perhaps forgiveness was _not_ going to be something he could provide… maybe his aibou could, but he wasn't capable of that for someone so selfish and malicious. Still, he could pity him, feel superior to him in that his heart was not a lead paper weight… but instead all he could feel was a burning, stinging hatred that made his chest ache in grievance. What was going on with him?

He silenced his thoughts as he heard the loud speaker again, with the same message as before. _I still have to get to floor eight_…_to meet up with Yugi and the others_. He listened as he heard the loud speaker say that he needed a life jacket to attend, though they would also be at the meeting spot if he didn't have one….

_I should bring one anyway_. He was about to head back into his own room to grab a life jacket when the glow of something orange caught his eye. On top of Bakura's closet was a couple of orange vests—life jackets—and none of them were going to be used by anyone since Bakura and Ryou were coming back to the room anytime soon. Yami pulled one off the closet's top.

_They wouldn't mind if I took one_—_Ryou wouldn't mind, at least. And Bakura's opinion doesn't really count_… _not until he learns some respect for others_. Yami slid the orange jacket over his head the vest bulging off of him like all safety vests do. He looked at it in frustration as he walked out of the room.

_Why can't modern mortals make these things easier_? He struggled with the latch on it as he closed the door to Bakura's room behind him.

---

Anzu sighed as she looked at her watch… it was already ten minutes past the time the emergency drill had been announced. She looked around the crowd of people that were also in the Masquerade Restaurant for the drill, hoping to see a mass of spiky black and purple hair moving through it—there was none.

"Hey Anzu, he'll get here soon" Yugi said as he placed a hand on her shoulder—he wondered why she seemed so tense all of a sudden. "Yami's never late, he'll be here soon."

"I know, I know" Anzu said good-naturedly, pushing back some of her chestnut locks from her shoulders. Her blue eyes watched the crowd around them. "It's just my nerves… planning out this trip and all, the last thing I need is for it to be ruined by an accident or something." Unknowingly her eyes traveled around the room, across the table that they were sitting at as they waited for Yami to show up, and for some reason ended up falling on Bakura, who sat across from her. He had heard what she said—"ruined by an accident or _something"_—and his brown eyes narrowed.

"Have something you want to say?" he growled, enough to pull Anzu out of her thoughts. She snapped from her worried daze to see Bakura looking like he could pick his teeth with her finger bones after he demolished her massacred remains. She squirmed in her seat as Yugi tried to give his best glare at the Tomb Robber.

"No, no! Nothing, just… thinking" she sputtered out, waving her hands in front of her so as to show no harm. The Tomb Robber seemed pleased by her show of weakness and unwillingness to fight, as he smirked and placed his feet up on the table, leaning back his chair as he was satisfied now.

Anzu and Serenity had thought it kind to remind Bakura to come down to the emergency drill. Now they wished they had left the thief to sulk.

"I didn't think so" he said, and though Anzu now sighed in relief with Yugi, one look to her left showed Joey clenching his fist, his teeth bared.

"Dat jerk-off…" he growled. "Why I oughtta…."

"It's okay, Joey, don't get riled up" Yugi said calmingly, and Joey finally stopped glaring at the albino enough to look at Yugi and smile.

"I know, Yug, but sometimes I just wanna hurt dat sonuvabitch…" he glanced over at Bakura. "Ya know he deserves a good beatin'…"

"Yeah, just as much as you need to get sent to the Shadow Realm" Tristan mocked as he patted Joey on the back. "Come on, Joey, the last thing we need you to do is get Bakura pissed off and have him send half the ship to the Shadow Realm. It ain't worth wrecking this sweet trip Anzu got for all of us, right?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right, man" Joey admitted, before suddenly getting a very maniacal look on his face. "'Course, maybe you can get Bakura ta send your pants to da Shadow Realm, so ya won't have ta worry 'bout dat ice cream stain."

"Shut. Up." Tristan said through gritted teeth as his eyes nervously glanced at Serenity, who wasn't paying much attention to begin with.

Ryou, who sat next to Anzu, twiddled his thumbs nervously. "So, what's going to happen now?" Anzu was about to answer him when she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Sorry I'm late." Yami walked around the table, pulling up a spare seat from another table and placing it so that he sat between Anzu and Yugi. All of them except for Bakura—who chose to look as though he could care less—and Serenity—who had no real idea at all—gave a good cheer of welcome to Yami as he took his seat, smiling his always benign smile as he gave a high five to Joey and ruffled Yugi's hair a bit.

"Where were you, man?" Tristan asked. Yami shrugged a bit.

"I needed a rest from all the excitement" he admitted. "Though, it was pretty lonely without all of you around. This is much better." While Joey gave him a thumbs-up in return and they began a conversation, Anzu started to stare off into space again, her thoughts elsewhere as she took a glance at Yami furtively.

_I wonder what got him in such a rage earlier with Bakura? _She thought as she barely heard the conversation going on around her. _I remember how he used to act before I let for America… he was so brave and confident, kind of regal in anything he did_. _He's still all those things, but when he fought with Bakura his air of calmness disappeared, and it was like I was seeing another side of him. _She sighed. _I know I shouldn't be worrying about it so much, it was probably just the combination of jet lag and Bakura being a nasty person as always_… _but why is my gut telling me to be worry about him, like something bad's going to happen_?_ Maybe I need a rest too—_

"Hey, Anzu? He-llo!" Joey pestered, and Anzu jerked up in surprise. "You zoning out on us? What's the deal?"

"Yeah, you okay Anzu?" Yugi said as he gazed at her with such innocent amethyst eyes. "You look worried about something…."

"Just thinking, about the trip and stuff" Anzu said hastily, trying to make sure she didn't worry them as well—the last she needed to do was be a burden and make everyone else feel gloomy too.

"Well, you can think about dat stuff later! You're with your friends now… lighten' up!" Joey encouraged, and Ryou nodded along shyly. Anzu nodded in response, though it was a little less of a sure answer.

"Thanks, Joey."

"Attention, everyone!" A man with a thick German accent announced—the gang, along with everyone else in the room, gradually became quiet to look at a tall man who resembled Arnold Schwarzenegger. The man cleared his throat as he held up a life jacket, which looked small in his massive hands.

"This is an emergency drill, in case of emergencies" the man started saying; Bakura snickered. _Thanks for stating the obvious, bonehead_. "If the boat should be under an emergency, you will hear the alarm that you heard ringing before. If you should hear that, you must put on your safety vest" he referred to the life jacket, "and come here, your stationed Life Boat facility. From here we will all calmly go onto the Life Boats, where you will be shipped to safety. There are enough Life Boats for everyone."

_Yeah, that's what they said on the Titanic_, Bakura snickered to himself again. He hated that movie, but his host was watching it one day so he decided he would see what was so sad about it. A lot of things apparently. _Like the acting_. Bakura's half-lidded eyes swept the room as the German staff worker went on to explain how to properly put on the Life Vests and wear them; he looked at all the bored mortals who also had to sit or stand through this session as well. He could hear a baby howling somewhere nearby—he scowled. _I wish someone would shut that damned thing up already_… _or else I might have to._

Then his eyes felt onto someone familiar—someone he didn't think he would ever see on a cruise ship for which even he despised the likes of._ What in Ra's name_...! _Isn't that_—?

"Does anybody have any questions?" the foreign man who had been announcing the whole thing asked. People started to file out as the loud speaker could be heard amongst the bustling few who were leaving, saying that the drill was over and that everyone could return to whatever they were doing before. In the crowd of people a tanned hand waved in the air. "Yes? Your question, sir?"

"I want to know what kind of animal was killed to make that _thing_ on your head" a familiar voice huskily spat. The attention of the gang was somewhat drawn to the conversation out of curiosity as the man's face became very mad from anger.

"Hey," Tristan hissed, "doesn't that sound like—?"

"This is my real hair" the staff worker said gruffly. The other voice chuckled darkly.

"If you say so…."

"Marik, leave the man alone" another familiar voice insisted. Now Yugi and the others looked to see what was going on, their interest snagged.

"I can do whatever I want, Malik, be quiet."

"Not on our vacation, Marik. Don't make me hit you."

"You're going to hit me? Then give it your all, you little—"

"Boys, behave!"

"Do what Miss Ishizu says, Master Malik, Master Marik."

"Yes, Sister…."

"Ishizu?" Yugi asked, at first just because and then a second time to call out to the person who was speaking. As the crowd of other tourists and cruise goers thinned, they could see the last people they would expect to find on a cruise ship, sitting right there at a table not too far away: Malik Ishtar, Marik Ishtar, Ishizu Ishtar, and Odion. Everyone gaped, too stunned to really speak. Then a hoarse voice broke the silence.

"Well look who it is…" Bakura said darkly as he regally got up from his seat and sauntered over to Marik and Malik. "If it isn't my psycho buddies from Egypt…. What do I owe the pleasure?"

Marik, with his half-lidded lavender eyes, gave an uninterested smirk as he gazed over at Bakura. "We could ask of you the same damn question. Why the hell are you on a luxury cruise liner?"

"Come now, Marik, you could be a little friendlier" Malik said, before turning to Bakura. "Sorry, what he means to say is that it's great to see you too. Right Marik?" He nudged his secondary personality in the ribs, which made him growl.

"Whatever."

"It's an honor to see you all again" Ishizu said, standing up from her chair and walking over to the rest of the gang. Yugi and his friends got out of their seats, as well as the rest of the Ishtar family. "You all look well and in high spirits. We haven't seen each other in a good few months. My Pharaoh…" she did a subtle bow before Yami, which was dutifully followed by Odion and Malik—Marik just stood there with his arms crossed, looking pissed. "It is good to see you again as well."

Yami did a slight bow as he waved his hands. "No, no, Ishizu, that is not necessary. I am no longer a Pharaoh." The female curator shook her head.

"Oh, but you are. You are still the ancient Pharaoh of Egypt of whom we have our loyalties. There is no need to deny your past." She stood by from her bow, and the rest of her family except Mari straightened. Yami heard a distant voice ring in his head.

"…_Become Atemu again_…" Yami shivered when he realized that was his own voice, the one of his memories, the one of the Pharaoh… a painful cord was struck in his memories, and he felt it dance through his arm wistfully.

"But what brings you guys here, on a cruise ship?" Tristan asked. "And at the same time that we go on the same cruise ship? That's, like, fate. It can't be coincidence." Ishizu chuckled a bit.

"Perhaps you are right, or perhaps this really is just a strange twist of fate."

"We're just here on vacation" Malik said. "Ishizu said it would be nice for us all to take a break after we finished our Tomb Robber duties… it is just so amazing that you are all on the same ship as us! It's incredible."

"Yes, 'incredible'…" Marik snorted. "Or they're stalking us."

A sharp bonk on the head.

"Brother, say you're sorry to Marik!"

"But Sister, he deserved it."

A pause. "Apologize."

"… Sorry, Marik…" then mumbling, "… you dipshit…."

"Hey, say that again to my face, Malik!"

Everyone in Yugi's gang sighed as sweatdrops formed beside all their heads. This was going to be an interesting vacation indeed.

---

Author's Note: _I know, I know… a little bit shorter than we all would like but hey, the next chappie will come up shortly. Hang in there folks, hang in there. _

**Marik: **Yes, FINALLY, I am in this stupid story! Now I can have world domination! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

**Me**: … Um, Marik, the story's not about you.

**Marik**: (twitches)… WH…WHAT?

_**Ten Minutes later….**_

**Marik:** You… b-bitch!

**Me: **Marik, stop crying! Come outta the closet….

**Marik**: No, you HATE me! I never wanna talk to you again! (sniffle)

**Me:** (mumbling) Ah, that mother… Stupid Egyptians, PMSing…. (sigh) I need aspirin….


	7. All Hail Gambling!

Disclaimer: I no own YGO. Simple as that!

Author's Note: _Alright, here's the next chapter! I don't know what to say except thanks to all my reviewers (for the rest of you, I'm still waiting!). Here's your beloved chapter!_

_Remember, this is rated "T" for language as well as other things. If you can't handle the word "fuck" then I'm sorry, take it or leave it. Just thought I'd say this ahead of time. _

#2 Author's Note: _Thoughts in italics… didn't we cover this already?_

**Marik:**….

**Yami:**…. Aren't we supposed to say something?

**Marik: **…. Maybe… I don't know… (Hey, when did I leave the closet?)

**Yami**:….

**Marik**: … Okay, that's it! Authoress, what should we say here!

**Me**: zzzzzzzz

**Yami and Marik**: (sweatdrops)

**Desert Aqua**

**By: Angel's Nocturne**

**Chapter 7: All Hail Gambling!**

"So, what are you guys really doing out here, anyways?" Anzu asked, before taking a forkful of spaghetti and placing it in her mouth. After they all met at the Masquerade Restaurant for the emergency drill session, the gang invited Ishizu and the rest of the Ishtar clan to an early dinner at said restaurant once it got back to work. Ishizu had graciously accepted, and they were now sitting around a large table eating their meals in conversation.

Ishizu laughed a bit as she sipped her glass of white wine lightly. "I have told you before, Anzu—I suggested that we all need a vacation and my family agreed. It is just coincidence that we happen to be on the same ship as all of you."

"I don't think I can believe that" Yugi said seriously. "I mean, what kind of accident is it for you to run into us on the same ship on the same trip we're taking? It's too… planned." He eyed the Tomb Keeper suspiciously, and Ishizu sighed.

"Yugi, it really is true. I can assure you that we are strictly here to relax and enjoy ourselves a little, and it is only by chance that we are to be here with all of you. Funny how the Gods have managed this." She sipped her wine again, and Yugi and Anzu looked at each other, contemplating. Joey, on the other hand, nodded firmly as he ate some of his chicken fettuccine, stuffing in into his mouth like he was packing himself with it for storage.

"I… believe ya…Ish…izu…" he said as he gobbled down his food like he hadn't eaten in days. Tristan sweatdropped as some food particles flew in every direction around the hungry blonde, finally ceasing when he swallowed his final mouthful. He wiped his mouth on his arm, before smiling at the Egyptian woman. "It's just some weird twist of fate dat's got ya here with us! And besides, who gives a damn what it is or isn't? Welcome aboard with us, Ishizu!"

Ishizu smiled kindly. "Thank you, Joey. I'm glad to have joined you all."

"So are we. It should make for an interesting stay here on this floating vessel" Yami commented, as he picked up the cheeseburger he had ordered and bit into it ravenously. Some of Yugi's habits had rubbed off on the Pharaoh, including a love for cheeseburgers. Such was seen as Yugi bit into his own cheeseburger, and munched on it the same way Yami had seconds before. Anzu smirked as she noted this.

It really was a nice restaurant they were in, too. It had a very formal feel to it, and it had a similar air to a Victorian parlor than anything. The walls were a dark wine-colored red, with fancy white furnishings and cream-colored table clothes. There were pictures everywhere, beautiful pieces of formal artwork and paintings that gave it a very rich feeling. Off to Anzu's right were the windows that showed the dark blue oceans that surrounded their ship, as foamy waves smashed against the boat's side as though trying to reach the windows. Luckily the waters were quite calm today, and they merely looked like ripples on the sea as they raced past the sailing ship with ease. The sun was just starting to set on the horizon. Anzu couldn't see the sun from where she was sitting but she could see the sky—a haze of red, orange, and yellow as the light blue sky began to fade into a dusty violet hue, giving way to sleepy clouds that rolled by, reflecting the ruby tint of the sun's rays. It was all so beautiful, and Anzu was here to see it. She felt pride at the face that she won this trip for all her friends to enjoy so much.

Yami sipped his soda, watching Anzu gaze out at the water and sky. She seemed very at peace now, which made Yami feel better. With all the trouble he caused earlier, he didn't want to make Anzu upset—she was the one who had obtained this trip for all of them, and it was to her that he held his regards. Still, the way the sun's light shined on her light-colored face and chestnut locks, she appeared as pretty as the room around them. He smiled, enjoying the view.

"So, what are we gonna do first?" Serenity said gingerly as she picked up a piece of bread from the basket at the center of the table and nibbled on it meekly. "I think there's a show on tonight in the main theatre—maybe we should see that."

"That sounds like a plan" Ishizu replied. Tristan and Joey nodded.

"Whatever ya want, Serenity" Joey said, puffing out his chest and looking proud. "I'll take ya ta see everything!"

"And don't forget about me, Serenity!" Tristan chimed in. Joey gave him a glare before stomping down on his foot under the table, making the brunette yelp in pain.

"Shut up, man. She's not your sister."

"Can I come too?" Ryou asked quietly. Serenity smiled and took her soda to her lips, gulping it down.

"Why not? I'm sure big bro won't mind." Serenity looked over at Joey, who looked like he was ready to challenge Tristan to a thumb war for no apparent reason. "What about it, bro? Can Ryou come with us?"

"Eh? Hey, sure—you're our buddy, Ryou! Of course you're with us!" Ryou modestly nodded, trying to not be too much of a burden. Joey suddenly got a little serious as he too on Ryou's gaze. "It's not like Bakura's asked you for anything, right?"

Ryou shook his head. "No, he said he probably wouldn't be back for a long time. This leaves me with you guys for the night."

"I can't believe that jerk-off ditched us to go hang out with Malik and Marik" Tristan said, annoyed. "Who knows what kind of havoc their wrecking. Even with Odion chaperoning them, they'll still cause trouble for us."

Ishizu nodded solemnly, and looked down at her food, realizing she had lost her appetite. _You are right, Tristan… where are you now, Brother_?

---

"I would like two martinis, a Blood Mary, and a water" Odion said to the bar hand in the Cardican Casino on floor eight of the ship, which was filled with gamblers willing to bet all their chips for the big win. It was bright and colorful, with flashing lights on the slots machines with cut outs of court jesters and playing cards situated around in various corners. The noise was intense as machines cranked out chips and people cheered or booed the next bet.

"You of age, sir?" he asked, the monotonous tone in his voice signaling how obviously bored he seemed to be. Odion brought out his ID and showed it to the man, who took a short glance at it and then nodded to Odion. "Coming right up. Just give me your key card."

Odion fumbled through his pockets again, before retrieving his cruise ship key card and handing it to the man. The bartender ran it through a credit card scanner, before returning it and giving it to the Tomb Keeper along with a receipt. "I'll have your drinks out in a moment."

"Thank you" Odion said gruffly, before scanning the casino he was in with great displeasure. He did not wish to be in this place, instead wanting to be back with Miss Ishizu and eating a good meal beside his Pharaoh and his companions. However, Master Malik had insisted on his company, and it was to him that his loyalties were unfortunately stronger. He could only comply.

And it had turned out bad from the start. It had to be bad, considering whose company he was in: Master Malik, Master Marik, and Master Bakura, a.k.a., evil Tomb Robber who had attempted to kill his Pharaoh on many occasions.

And Master Marik's influence over Master Malik didn't help either, and it was because of him that they were here, in a casino, and _he_ was being forced to buy alcoholic drinks for his underage masters… especially Marik, since technically he was only six years old. Ishizu would surely have his head.

Hopefully she will pity on the fact that he was only following orders.

In a moment or two, the bartender returned with the three martinis and a glass of ice water. The glasses clinked together as Odion tried to hold all of them at once, two martinis in one hand, one Bloody Mary in the other, and the glass of water held by his arm pressing it against his side. He turned to leave the rink bar but as soon as he wheeled around three pairs of hands—two tan and one pale—snatched the martinis and Bloody Mary from his hands, and he was left alone, sweatdropping as the three youths that were his "masters" slipped away snickering at their enjoyment of some fresh booze. He sipped his own water, trying to settle his own nerves.

Maybe he should have bought some booze for himself while he was at it. He turned back to the bar tender and asked for a shot of scotch on the rocks.

"Now _this_ is living!" Marik commented as the three made their way to a small card table, a deck of playing cards and some betting chips already present as they had paid or them earlier. They sat in their chairs, grinning to one another as they took their drinks and made a toast.

"To foolish mortals!" Marik said.

"To servants who are of age and are obedient!" Malik said, snickering.

"To more booze!" Bakura added, and all three of them cackled as they drank their respective drinks with pleasure. Finally, Bakura placed his Bloody Mary on the table and took the deck of playing cards into his hands, shuffling them absently.

"So, what game shall we play?" he inquired, watching his companions with russet brown eyes. Malik and Marik looked to each other, grinned and nodded, and then turned back to Bakura.

"Poker's fine" Malik said.

"Yes, poker. Something we can whoop your scrawny ass at" Marik commented, half-lidded lilac eyes laughing at him. Bakura glared.

"Is the alcohol already getting to you, you lush?" he asked sarcastically. Marik smirked, amused.

"No, this is how I always act, baka."

Bakura raised an eyebrow. "Like a stupid drunk?"

"Hey, let's just play some cards!" Malik said, feeling the air tense around them a bit as both Marik and Bakura glared daggers at each other. Bakura consented, finishing his shuffling as he placed the deck back on the table. He began to arrange the cards for the game, as him and Malik ended up delighting in some small talk.

"I'm assuming life has dealt you no further blows?" Bakura inquired.

"Nope, things have been boring as hell. Marik makes things a little easier, but Egypt's no amusement park." Malik smiled as he sipped his martini, enjoying the feeling of the alcohol slowly caress his senses a bit. "Though, I can't say that I wouldn't want Marik around—he tends to be amusing."

Bakura gave a half-smile, recalling what had happened to get Marik back into their world. It was really quite the tale, if anyone did ever wish to hear it. Apparently Malik and his family had gotten on with their lives, seeing as Malik was no longer a crazy twit and had one personality this time, and for that they were grateful. Marik was banished to the Shadow Realm, and all was fairly quiet… until he appeared on their door step on fine night.

Actually, it wasn't a door step, but it was their kind of door step, for a cave. But that was beside the point. Marik, in all his evil demonic craziness, was there in front of their house, waving and saying hello. Bakura nearly choked on what he was eating from laughing the first time he heard this, as Malik told him how Ishizu almost fainted and even he could have soiled himself with the thought of his yami returning.

But the story was this: it appears that Marik was getting a little too powerful for the Shadow Realm to control, and plus he was chewing on various creatures, which did not come off as a good thing there, and they were forced to send him back. Somehow being in the Shadow Realm calmed the dark Malik's senses, so now he just acted like an insane little bastard instead of an insane little bastard with super human Shadow Powers. On all accounts, it seemed to make sense.

But that didn't stop Bakura from cackling over it later when he wasn't within ear shot of Marik.

"I'm curious" Bakura mused. "How come you bakas are _really_ on this Ra-forsaken ship?" Both Egyptians raised an eyebrow.

"We told you, we're on vacation" Malik said defensively. Bakura huffed a little.

"I can't see that happening. You said Ishizu arranged this?" Malik nodded. "Well, you see, Ishizu acts likes she's fucking PMSing all the time to me. I can't believe for the life of me that she would leave that little hole in the ground that you guys call home to go on a trip." He took another swig of his Bloody Mary. "You catch my drift?"

Marik nodded, sipping his own martini. "You would be surprised. Though, I have noticed that she has been acting, rather oddly. For Ishizu, that would be _very_ odd." He chuckled lightly, letting the liquid in his cup swish around lazily. "But enough talk of this. We are all here to have a good time, and a good time entails much drinking and gambling. Shall we begin?"

"Of course, my psychotic friend" Bakura sneered. "But I'll have you know, it takes a lot to get me drunk. Don't think this will be an easy game after the first few drinks." Malik and Marik once again looked to each other, giving the other an amused grin, before returning their attention to the Tomb Robber and smiling knowingly.

"Fine, let's just begin."

**_30 minutes, 8 Bloody Maries, and 17 martinis later_**….

"You know, this… is getting… boring…" Bakura droned, picking up his half-empty Bloody Mary and guzzling down what was left in one gulp. He firmly set the glass on the table, and in a moment's notice, Odion came by and took it away, going back to the bartender to get another. Bakura smirked, though his eyes were a bit droopy and his speech a bit slurred.

Oh, he wasn't drunk. Just a bit buzzed, but he was far from intoxicated.

… At least that's what he thought.

Malik and Marik appeared similar, with Marik so drunk that he barely could grasp his glass, let alone bring it up to his face. There was a goofy maniacal grin plastered to his face, as he was plastered himself, and he swayed a bit in his seat as he stared at the cards on the table as though seeing something interesting. He started laughing to himself, a whiny gay laugh that send shivers down Odion's spine when he past by.

Malik was still keeping his cool, as he managed not to drink as much as the others—he was indeed buzzed but was still able to think clearly. He smirked as he noticed Bakura sway a little, a comical grin on his pale face.

"You sure you can keep going, Bakura?" Malik asked, a bit concerned. Bakura looked at Malik for a few minutes, as though trying to remember who was talking to him, and then he shook his head like it was too heavy to move, dropping his hand on top of the playing card deck and dragging it over to him.

"Of course… not… I told you… I don't get drunk easily…" Bakura slurred, barely able to keep himself upright. Malik smiled, trying to ignore the fact that Marik just passed out and had fallen on the floor with a loud thud. His snores could be heard below the table.

Where crickets should have chirped in the silence, Marik's snores were heard instead.

"Then you're up for another game?"

"Sure! Why not…." Bakura got a glint in his glazed eyes… and that never meant anything good. His russet brown eyes sparkled even through his drunken haze, and Malik twitched a bit, trying not to wonder why Bakura was suddenly staring at him like he was a piece of gold jewelry that was asking to be stolen. "Say… why don't we _up_ the wagers a bit, eh Malik?"

"What do you propose, Tomb Robber?"

Bakura grinned devilishly. "I'm raising the stakes from these… _bargaining_ chips…. How about if _you_ lose… I get your rod…."

"My what?" He did **not** just hear that, right?

"Your Millennium Rod, you sick fuck." Malik sighed in relief, and then he gazed at Bakura sternly.

"I thought you gave up on that when you got your own body and a 'darkness-free life'."

"Once a thief, always a thief."

"But you're not stealing it from me, you're winning it in a poker game—"

"Who gives a shit? I want it, and I'll have it. Simple as that" Bakura said, his first serious words since he got drunk after the fifth Bloody Mary. Odion returned and gently placed the glass of red alcohol on the table, careful to avoid Bakura's gaze as he did not feel like messing with the Thief King, let alone a _drunken_ Thief King. Plus, he managed to get some girl at the other end of the bar to talk to him, and with a few scotches in him, he was feeling _lucky_.

As Odion went back to the bar and his acquaintance, Bakura graciously took the Bloody Mary and chugged it all in a one gulp. He removed the celery stick, staring at it strangely, before chewing on it like a rabbit on speed (A/N: Imagine that before you go to sleep at night… gives a good giggle).

"Why do you want the Millennium Rod?" Malik asked, curious—after all, the chances of Bakura ever resurrecting Zorc again were slim to absolutely none, plus he was condemned to normal life thus rendering that plan useless. Carefully Malik went to reach behind him, and from his black belt he removed the Millennium Item that the albino spoke of. The Rod shimmered in the bright lights of the casino, the Eye of Ra glistening by a golden brilliance of its own, making it look alive. Bakura's eyes glazed over again as he looked upon the Item he desired.

"Why should you care? I want it for my own personal use." Bakura grinned, showing off his sharp canines. "The Millennium Rod controls people, and that's the kind of power I wish to harvest. It would be fun to have the bartenders give us as much booze as we wanted, or to have servants at our beck and call, all with the power of that Rod. I want to control whoever I wish."

Malik's eyes narrowed. "Including Ryou?" Bakura looked up, his eyes widening a bit in surprise at the question, but then he snickered.

"Why not? He is a bit of a nuisance when he tries to tell me what to do… it would be fun to see him finally do as I command."

"That's precisely the problem, Tomb Robber" Malik said sadly. He was afraid of this—Bakura could never see the importance of having Ryou as his light. He was ignorant of it, and that would be his downfall. Malik had even had a chat with Ryou before he had gone off with Marik and Bakura to the casinos, the two of them washing their hands in the bathroom.

"_So, how have things been Malik?" Ryou asked kindly as his Egyptian friend let the cool water fall over his tanned hands, enjoying the feel of it._

"_Nothing interesting, if that's what you mean. Just trying to keep Marik in check." Malik smiled at Ryou. "Would you believe that he's actually trainable? I couldn't believe how easy it was to get him to learn some manners."_

_Ryou blinked owlishly. "Really? What do you use to do that?"_

"_Gingerbread men" Malik said plainly. Ryou looked at his friend for a moment, before bursting out laughing, unable to contain himself._

"_Are you bloody serious?" he asked, still trying to stifle a giggle. Malik nodded. "Yep, gingerbread men. I think Marik likes biting the heads off… but it keeps him in line, that's for sure. So I don't really mind. It is strange though."_

"_I'll say" Ryou added, drying his hands off with a paper towel. Malik followed suit, watching as the albino youth cleaned his hands so gingerly, as if doing it too roughly would causing his skin to be wiped off with it. He smiled at the boy's gentleness._

"_How about you? You and Bakura getting along all right?" Ryou looked up from drying his hands, his eyes widening a bit in surprise. Then they returned to normal, as they became downcast and appeared very depressed as he sighed heavily._

"_I guess you could say that" he mumbled. Malik looked over, aware of his friend's sudden change in mood. _

"_Is he still being an ass?" Ryou shook his head._

"_No, he's alright. I just… he still isn't exactly 'peachy'."_

"_I doubt you could ever make him anything close to peachy." Ryou then giggled a bit, and Malik grinned, happy to lighten up his friend. Ever since they had met at Battle City, and since Malik wanted to make amends for what Bakura did to his host because of him, Malik started to communicate with Ryou, and soon the two had grown friendly towards one another. They sent letters to each other, talking whenever they could. Malik almost though of Ryou as a brother, and on hearing his uneasiness towards Bakura, Malik's gaze became stern._

"_But seriously, Ryou. Is Bakura hurting you, in any way?" Ryou shook his head._

"_No, Malik, it's okay… don't be so worried about me, I'm fine. Everything's… fine." He looked down at his feet again, and with it Malik couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed Ryou's shoulders and made the albino face him, so that he could look into those doe brown eyes. Ryou looked up at hi, galvanized._

"_Malik, what are you—"_

"_Ryou, I know you don't want to admit it, but if Bakura's being a bastard, then you can say it. I can see it—you're not happy. Your letters can't tell me that, but seeing your face has convinced me… I want to know if he's being a nuisance." Malik tried to peer into his friend's eyes, only to have the boy's bangs over them like a visor. He wanted Ryou to understand how much he truly cared—after all he had convinced Bakura to do to him during Battle City, he didn't want to have Bakura hurt Ryou again. He didn't deserve it. He could suddenly feel Ryou's shoulders tremble a little, and a sniffle was heard. He gazed down, worried. "Ryou?"_

"_He's… just so cold, Malik" Ryou whispered sadly. Malik let go of his shoulders, letting Ryou stand on his own. "I keep trying… to act like he's just part of the gang, just another friend… but he keeps shoving me away. He still hates me… he still hates me_…."

"_He doesn't hate you, Ryou. Bakura's just an arrogant pain in the ass who only cares about himself. It's not because of you" Malik tried to assure him, but Ryou shook his head wildly._

"_No, he does! I keep trying to help him become good again but he just doesn't listen! He goes out at nights and gets in trouble… I want him to be my friend, to try and be like Yami or Marik or something, but it's useless, he just won't care! I keep trying, and trying, and I… I don't know what to do anymore_..._" Ryou cried a little, and Malik was surprised to see a lone tear slip down his porcelain face. He could feel his fist ball up, clenching in anger. _

"_That pitiful fucking bastard…" he mumbled under his breath. Ryou then looked up, and placed a hand on Malik's shoulder._

"_You're not going to… hurt him, are you?" Ryou asked. Malik smiled half-heartedly, amazed at how Ryou still cared. He considered Bakura to be in his possession, his custody, and because of that he made sure he looked after the thief with great concern. Malik shook his head lightly, his corn silk locks flailing a bit with the movement._

"_Nah, not too badly. But he deserves a good beating if he keeps this up… he should know better than to not accept help."_

"_But… just don't tell him I told you this. He'd get angry with me." Malik raised an eyebrow._

"_Alright, but if he ever does anything that really hits below the belt, you come and find me and Marik, okay? We won't let him kick you around… you're his hikari, for Ra sake." Malik placed a hand to his head, wondering why the hell Bakura would still act like a piece of glass was shoved up his ass. The whole concept was giving him a headache._

"_You promise?" Ryou asked meekly. Malik looked over at the timid albino, before smiling and placing an arm over his shoulder._

"_Promise."_

Malik hissed at the memory. He gazed upon Bakura, who was waiting impatiently for Odion to return with hi next drink, a vague smile on his face as he tried to shuffle the cards. In a messy attempt he was satisfied, before handing the deck over to Malik.

"Well? Do we have a deal?" Bakura asked. Malik glared at him a bit, before retaining his cool. He snickered as he suddenly had a very amusing idea….

"I agree to your terms, but on one condition." Bakura raised an eyebrow, his cocked to the side a bit.

"Speak."

"If _you_ lose, you have to be nice to Ryou for the whole rest of the trip. All ten days of it. No harassing, no pushing around, and you have to listen to him and obey his wishes. What do you say?" Malik smiled—he knew he was pushing the envelope with this one, but he wanted to see what the outcome would be.

Bakura gazed at him, considering. If he were sober, he probably would have belittled Malik on such an offer, but then would take it up and cheat the hell out of him, to make sure he didn't lose. He refused to agree to any terms like that—Ryou was his hikari, he could do whatever he pleased with him, and no one would tell him otherwise. But he was drunk… so he would take up the offer anyways. He knew he wouldn't lose—he was too good a gamer.

At least that was what the booze was telling him.

Bakura grinned demonically. "I accept your challenge, Malik Ishtar. If you would just shuffle the deck so that we can begin?"

"Certainly" Malik said calmly, busying himself with the cutting of the cards into various piles before missing them together again. In his work he added, "Oh, and Bakura? Let us make this a fair game… any cheating and it will be an automatic forfeit for you."

Bakura thought about this for a moment. If he were sober, he'd agree, and then cheat anyways. But he was drunk… the thought process was taking longer.

Malik smirked. "C'mon now, Tomb Robber! I can't believe that you aren't such a _great_ game master that you can't win without cheating! You're supposed to be the Pharaoh's rival… if you have to stoop so low as to _cheat_, well then, I'll just have to assume that you're no match for the ancient Pharaoh… that you're really just a low little thief from then streets…."

That sealed it right there. If Bakura were sober, he would have laughed at Malik's attempt to goad him into making the bet official, instead turning the teasing onto him about Marik or something of that sort. But again, he is _drunk_… and when one is as drunk as he is, the booze starts talking for you after a while.

And Bakura's Bloody Mary did not like being called a "low little thief".

"Fine, I take those terms! No cheating!" Bakura shouted, a little too loud due to the alcohol, before slumping back in his seat and mumbling incoherently to himself about kittens. Or was that Marik talking in his sleep? Either way, Malik grinned, as he began to arrange the cards before them.

"Okay then, Tomb Robber… game start."

---

Author's Note: _Wow, that chapter was LONG for this story. I would have kept going, but, then it would have been WAY too long for a chapter. You're better off waiting for the next chapter anyways._

_Oh, and I'm sorry I didn't mention this earlier, but there may be some shounen-ai in this story as well as our normal couples. Perhaps some yaoi, but I doubt it'll get that far. Sorry to those who don't like it, but don't worry, there won't be much. _

**Malik: **Eww, gay love… that's just nasty….

**Me:** Ahem…Malik you're in one of the yaoi couples.

**Malik**: (blink) Oh, I am? Never mind what I said before then.

**Me**: (sweatdrop)


	8. A Note to All My Readers

Hi there everyone.

It's been a long time since I've updated this story, or any of my other multi-chapter fanfictions. I'm at two years remission from finishing chemo, and I've graduated high school, so yeah, that really is a long time later. While it brings me nothing but ill feelings to say it, I don't think I can continue these stories any longer. Whatever plot or writing plans I had for these works has disintegrated, and if I did try to update now the stories would only be shells of their former selves. It would be more of a disappointment than anything.

I'm sorry to all of you who have been so faithful with your reviews and favorites. I know you've been waiting a while for me to continue, but these pieces really have died on me, and anything I pull up now would be crap. I'm just sending this to let you know this, and that I will no longer visit this account.

Again, I apologize. T__T I really don't want to do this, but my clinging onto any of finishing these stories is useless.

I'm glad you have enjoyed what was written thus far. It makes me happy to know how much you liked my work.

I wish you all best of luck in your own projects. Thank you for what you have given me.

Sincerely,

Angel's Nocturne


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